Well, the first thing I can say, is I'm going to have to create a new blog with a different title because Three Weeks isn't going to cut it.
So, if you will indulge me and allow me to change our blogger address to: www.bergmansonboard.blogspot.com
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Photos Up the Wazoo
Here are the Photos from our trip - I'll try to put captions on them tonight so they are a little more informative. :) If you double click on the pictures, it will open a different window with just the slideshow and I think you can read the captions then. If not, let me know and I'll try to figure it out differently.
Hopefully this gives you a better glimpse into what our time looked like and the world the surrounded us.
Hopefully this gives you a better glimpse into what our time looked like and the world the surrounded us.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Home Safe & Sound!
Well, after over 40 hours of travel time, we made it home safe and sound - all flights on time (no delays or re-routing due to the Iceland volcanic ash), and all our luggage made it from Mozambique-South Africa-Senegal-New York City-San Francisco!
We are tired and ready for a good night's sleep in our cozy beds. I was shivering with the cool air on the plane, and even more so in drizzly San Jose.
Tomorrow I will start updating with photos, and processing all we've experienced, but just wanted to let you know we're home.
Thanks for all your prayers!
We are tired and ready for a good night's sleep in our cozy beds. I was shivering with the cool air on the plane, and even more so in drizzly San Jose.
Tomorrow I will start updating with photos, and processing all we've experienced, but just wanted to let you know we're home.
Thanks for all your prayers!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Back from Kruger, in the Final Stretch
We are "home" safe and sound from Kruger- despite warnings that it's the end of summer and everything is overgrown and you might not see any animals, we saw probably thousands. Of the big five (Lions, Rhinos, Cape Buffalo, Leopards and Elephant) only the leopard eluded us both days. We saw an entire herd of Cape Buffalo cross the street by us. Dozens of elephants, hundreds of impala, two lions at different times, giraffes, hippos, crocs, warthogs, wildebeests, baboons, monkeys, storks, zebras, white and black rhinos, mongooses (mongeese??), and I'm sure I'm missing lots of others. Lynn, our tour guide, was wonderful-our accommodations were awesome, and it was a really good break- the girls and I had a chance to heal up a bit and get rid of our congestion (a drop in humidity helped a lot), and Dan's cough sounds a lot better too.
I'm still laughing about Kylie's and my time in the nursery this morning- Francisco (Fran-chee-sco), who will turn one on Monday, doesn't like to stay awake until 10:30 nap time. He literally fell asleep sitting up on my legs which had Kylie busting up laughing.
Kylie came with a mission to distribute some Gospel bracelets on behalf of her dear Awana's leader, Miss Lynn. Because we are discouraged from giving individual gifts to the kids here (partly there is a "beggar" mentality to overcome, also when you live in community with 300 kids, it's a little difficult to justify who gets something and who does not). But, this morning, Kylie felt led to give them to the three Tias (aunties), the Mozambican paid workers that work 96 hours on, 96 hours off in the nursery. We've come to have a good relationship with these three ladies so in my broken Portuguese we explained what they were for. You should have seen their faces light up and I could hear them "ooh"ing and "aah"ing over them and throwing out words like sparkly and shiny. It was a great blessing to Kylie.
We can't believe we only have four more days here. In some ways we feel like we've just begun. Though we don't really have a clear direction as of now, we are open to whatever the Lord wants to show us during the next several weeks as we return home and process all that we've seen, done and experienced.
There is about a dozen girls that we've adopted, (or rather, they've adopted us???) that we eat our meals with and hang out with during our off times. It's been neat to see them come to accept us and be able to joke with us and teach us some Portuguese.
We love you and can't wait to share photos so you can be more a part of this, too! I will not take high-speed internet or automatic washing machines for granted!!
I'm still laughing about Kylie's and my time in the nursery this morning- Francisco (Fran-chee-sco), who will turn one on Monday, doesn't like to stay awake until 10:30 nap time. He literally fell asleep sitting up on my legs which had Kylie busting up laughing.
Kylie came with a mission to distribute some Gospel bracelets on behalf of her dear Awana's leader, Miss Lynn. Because we are discouraged from giving individual gifts to the kids here (partly there is a "beggar" mentality to overcome, also when you live in community with 300 kids, it's a little difficult to justify who gets something and who does not). But, this morning, Kylie felt led to give them to the three Tias (aunties), the Mozambican paid workers that work 96 hours on, 96 hours off in the nursery. We've come to have a good relationship with these three ladies so in my broken Portuguese we explained what they were for. You should have seen their faces light up and I could hear them "ooh"ing and "aah"ing over them and throwing out words like sparkly and shiny. It was a great blessing to Kylie.
We can't believe we only have four more days here. In some ways we feel like we've just begun. Though we don't really have a clear direction as of now, we are open to whatever the Lord wants to show us during the next several weeks as we return home and process all that we've seen, done and experienced.
There is about a dozen girls that we've adopted, (or rather, they've adopted us???) that we eat our meals with and hang out with during our off times. It's been neat to see them come to accept us and be able to joke with us and teach us some Portuguese.
We love you and can't wait to share photos so you can be more a part of this, too! I will not take high-speed internet or automatic washing machines for granted!!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Um dia bonito no Zimpeto
Finally, we've received some relief from the heat! Saturday brought cool weather with lots of wind and we are so thankful!
Thursday we had a big adventure to the city- we went with one of the Mozambican pastors (a young lad who looks to be about 15 but he's really 26) - for nine years he has been traveling on the "shopper" (a crowded city bus)to the main hospital in Maputo to pray for the sick. He picks up any visitors interested in attending and helps us navigate downtown. We had planned on bringing the girls, but he thought it might not be possible to get them admitted. So, they stayed and played with the girls on the base while we went. We prayed for people with leprosy, burns, AIDS, and other obvious skin conditions. We prayed for the young (nursing babies) and grandmas (whose grandchildren waited in the room for her to heal). It was extremely moving and an amazing testimony to the faith and commitment of Domingos, this young pastor.
Our journey back home took about three and a half hours- first an hour waiting to squeeze into one of these full buses- you should have seen the way they squish every last inch full - literally shoving people up the steps, and squishing the sliding door onto them. I have never felt more like a sardine!
I was worried how we would find the girls, but they were in church, with their friend Lija (I spelled her name wrong before), and tired, but doing fine. They hadn't missed us at all!
Friday was another hot day, and we took a group of young girls to the pool up the road (rather, they took us to the pool, since we had no idea where we were going). They don't really know how to swim, but they love to splash in the water and cool off.
This weekend we've received some more visitors- a YWAM team from Durban, South Africa, and a gal from Ireland. We were able to go out to dinner with another couple that are serving here- picking their brains on what it looks like to be living here on a longer capacity.
We accompanied the directors on a journey off the main road back into the community (what we really envisioned Africa to look like) to check on a woman who used to work here at the center. They brought refrescos (soda) and cookies and we sat and talked with her in her back yard- near the outdoor kitchen, and Savannah played with her two small turtles. We also saw the house her son had built- out of reeds and a tin roof- he is saving up to accumulate enough cement blocks to build a sturdier home for himself, like his mom has.
We visited the lovely babies in the nursery this morning - the girls have really taken to them as well and love getting them to smile.
Tomorrow we head to Kruger for a couple of days of (hopefully) seeing animals.
Please pray for the girls and I as we all three have quite a cough/congestion/sore throat thing going on- we don't want to pass it to the kids, but we desperately want to spend time with them. Savannah continues to be a mosquito's paradise too. The bites bother her, and my greater fear is Malaria, though we've been told they have had very little incidents of Malaria with their visitors.
Love & hugs to all! Tschao!
Thursday we had a big adventure to the city- we went with one of the Mozambican pastors (a young lad who looks to be about 15 but he's really 26) - for nine years he has been traveling on the "shopper" (a crowded city bus)to the main hospital in Maputo to pray for the sick. He picks up any visitors interested in attending and helps us navigate downtown. We had planned on bringing the girls, but he thought it might not be possible to get them admitted. So, they stayed and played with the girls on the base while we went. We prayed for people with leprosy, burns, AIDS, and other obvious skin conditions. We prayed for the young (nursing babies) and grandmas (whose grandchildren waited in the room for her to heal). It was extremely moving and an amazing testimony to the faith and commitment of Domingos, this young pastor.
Our journey back home took about three and a half hours- first an hour waiting to squeeze into one of these full buses- you should have seen the way they squish every last inch full - literally shoving people up the steps, and squishing the sliding door onto them. I have never felt more like a sardine!
I was worried how we would find the girls, but they were in church, with their friend Lija (I spelled her name wrong before), and tired, but doing fine. They hadn't missed us at all!
Friday was another hot day, and we took a group of young girls to the pool up the road (rather, they took us to the pool, since we had no idea where we were going). They don't really know how to swim, but they love to splash in the water and cool off.
This weekend we've received some more visitors- a YWAM team from Durban, South Africa, and a gal from Ireland. We were able to go out to dinner with another couple that are serving here- picking their brains on what it looks like to be living here on a longer capacity.
We accompanied the directors on a journey off the main road back into the community (what we really envisioned Africa to look like) to check on a woman who used to work here at the center. They brought refrescos (soda) and cookies and we sat and talked with her in her back yard- near the outdoor kitchen, and Savannah played with her two small turtles. We also saw the house her son had built- out of reeds and a tin roof- he is saving up to accumulate enough cement blocks to build a sturdier home for himself, like his mom has.
We visited the lovely babies in the nursery this morning - the girls have really taken to them as well and love getting them to smile.
Tomorrow we head to Kruger for a couple of days of (hopefully) seeing animals.
Please pray for the girls and I as we all three have quite a cough/congestion/sore throat thing going on- we don't want to pass it to the kids, but we desperately want to spend time with them. Savannah continues to be a mosquito's paradise too. The bites bother her, and my greater fear is Malaria, though we've been told they have had very little incidents of Malaria with their visitors.
Love & hugs to all! Tschao!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
I Can't Think of a Title
Things continue well here- Savannah's gotten several more mosquito bites- we've decided she has sugar blood. They love her. We're slathering on the repellent, sleeping under the net, and putting on hydrocortisone for itch relief. I've had a sore throat that today turned into scratchy throat, but with popping lots of vitamin B & C and some Zicam I think it's not going to get much worse.
We've spent lots of time with some of the girls this week- there's a group that are quite fond of us, and especially Papa Big Dan, so it's been fun coloring with them, making necklaces, playing on the playground and eating meals with them.
Just a couple of hours after my last post, Kylie and Savannah really started to click with a girl named Liza (Lee-jha). She is beautiful (can't wait to post some photos when we get home), and speaks enough English to help the girls not be intimidated. She's eight years old and lives with the directors. They are an Australian couple who came here in 2001 with their 16 & 18 year old children. When they came, the baby house was full and ten more children arrived that needed a place, so they took them into their home. There is a separate living quarters for these kiddos, and they have a Tia (Mozambican aunty)who stays with them around the clock. Since then, four of these children have been reintegrated to their families (the ultimate goal for all the children here), so they have six that remain.
We also have been spending a bit of time each day in the nursery with the six little ones - they are smiley, happy, giggly babies learning to walk, play peekaboo and LOVE attention. At least one is HIV positive - she's a tiny little thing but beautiful and just as happy to charm you with a smile.
Yesterday we went on an incredible drive (by incredible I mean shocking) through flooded streets, potholes that put all of the U.S. potholes to shame, and lots of traffic to Machava, another Iris location about an hour away. This one is a little more remote- it's off of the main highway and has a more open feel to it- beautiful eucalyptus trees, bamboo, palm, mango, papaya, etc... The girls saw two things there that they fell in love with: Sally, the monkey (A pet given to the directors by some friends when they were moving away). Sally wears a harness and has a long rope that connects her to her home- she was the smartest little thing (untangling herself along the way) and loved to find bits of things to eat in our heads, arms, legs and pant cuffs (who knows what she was finding!!). The other thing the girls loved was the soon-to-open Salao de beleza "beauty salon" that they'll have to not only pamper the girls, but teach them a trade. They have a salon chair, the blow dryer chair, and all sorts of nailpolish. Kylie's response after seeing this was, "We SO have to live here!" :-)
That's about all for my time - please keep praying for health so we can maximize our time here, and that we'd be open to all that the Lord has for us during this time.
We've spent lots of time with some of the girls this week- there's a group that are quite fond of us, and especially Papa Big Dan, so it's been fun coloring with them, making necklaces, playing on the playground and eating meals with them.
Just a couple of hours after my last post, Kylie and Savannah really started to click with a girl named Liza (Lee-jha). She is beautiful (can't wait to post some photos when we get home), and speaks enough English to help the girls not be intimidated. She's eight years old and lives with the directors. They are an Australian couple who came here in 2001 with their 16 & 18 year old children. When they came, the baby house was full and ten more children arrived that needed a place, so they took them into their home. There is a separate living quarters for these kiddos, and they have a Tia (Mozambican aunty)who stays with them around the clock. Since then, four of these children have been reintegrated to their families (the ultimate goal for all the children here), so they have six that remain.
We also have been spending a bit of time each day in the nursery with the six little ones - they are smiley, happy, giggly babies learning to walk, play peekaboo and LOVE attention. At least one is HIV positive - she's a tiny little thing but beautiful and just as happy to charm you with a smile.
Yesterday we went on an incredible drive (by incredible I mean shocking) through flooded streets, potholes that put all of the U.S. potholes to shame, and lots of traffic to Machava, another Iris location about an hour away. This one is a little more remote- it's off of the main highway and has a more open feel to it- beautiful eucalyptus trees, bamboo, palm, mango, papaya, etc... The girls saw two things there that they fell in love with: Sally, the monkey (A pet given to the directors by some friends when they were moving away). Sally wears a harness and has a long rope that connects her to her home- she was the smartest little thing (untangling herself along the way) and loved to find bits of things to eat in our heads, arms, legs and pant cuffs (who knows what she was finding!!). The other thing the girls loved was the soon-to-open Salao de beleza "beauty salon" that they'll have to not only pamper the girls, but teach them a trade. They have a salon chair, the blow dryer chair, and all sorts of nailpolish. Kylie's response after seeing this was, "We SO have to live here!" :-)
That's about all for my time - please keep praying for health so we can maximize our time here, and that we'd be open to all that the Lord has for us during this time.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Tudo Ben? Tudo Ben!
Yes, we are alive & well in Zimpeto, Mozambique! Sorry to leave you all hanging - internet is only available to us on Monday afternoon and Thursday morning so this is our first chance here.
Our flights were rather uneventful aside from two temporarily misplaced passports at the JFK terminal, we had very smooth (yet uncomfortable) flights. We arrived in Johannesburg on time and the weather was overcast& cool. We explored some fun gift shops in the very cosmopolitan airport then boarded a short 50-minute flight (which included snack and drink!) to Maputo (Ma-POO-too), capital city of Mozambique. Here we disembarked on the tarmac and were greeted with muggy, enveloping humidity, as we should have expected, but are never quite ready for. All eight of our bags arrived and were waiting forus on the conveyor belt! A quick scan of our luggage through the x-ray machine and we were off. Now what? Several men wanted to help us with our luggage carts, and we tried to let them know we had it under control, but we weren't firm enough. We wandered outside like stray cats, past several taxi drivers and people with signs for World Vision and other individuals & organizations. A couple minutes later a young named Samuel(Sam-WELL) showed up with the Iris sign and a Toyota truck and we piled in.
Our journey to Zimpeto took about 40 minutes as drove out of the capital to the north. This trip was so reminiscent of Latin America, but with a fewnew twists- I
'd love to show you some pictures but 1) we only have 20 minutes and slow internet, and 2) taking pictures is ILLEGAL in most of Mozambique, so we are forbidden to do so except on the property and in certain locations..
Along with roadside fruit stands, corragated tin roofs, tropical vegetation, wandering goats, sandy roads covered in mud puddles from the previous night'srain, now we had people of varying degrees of chocolate brown - many women with babies wrapped onto their backs in large swathes of cloth, all women wearing skirts or capalanas. Drivers made their own traffic rules- honking to alert everyone of their whereabouts- same as Latin America, only this time they're (mostly) on the left side othe road. Cement brick factories, and used clothing stands are scattered about both sides of the road.
Portuguese may only be spokenby a small percentage in the country but it seems that everyone we've metin zimpeto & Maputo speak it. Tudo Bem (it's all good) is a common greeting heard among all.
The Iris property is quite impressive - enclosed within the guarded gate are: five boys dorms housing about 230 boys, 3 girls dorms (housing over 50 girls), a baby house holding 32 little ones ages 9 months - 5 yearsold, a nursery that holds up to 8 infants through age eight months (currently six are here). There's also a government-run school that doesn't only serve 250 of the iris kids, but also another 750 from the community. A large building doubles as church & the cafeteria. There are homes for several of the long-term staff, as well as a visitor's compound (where we are) with 10 dorm rooms. There's a huge playground made out of wood, barrels and ropes, a basketball court, soccer field, a garden, clinic, refreshment stand and parking lot for the many ministry vehicles.
Our perception of coming to help these "poor" children has been rocked significantly after seeing the structure in place here and the self-sufficiency of these children. the airhorn alarm sounds at 6:00am to wake everyone, and at 7:00 it rings again to beckon everyone to breakfast - a baguette atleast twelve inches long provides enough sustenance until the 12:30 lunch time.
I must point out that most of the ~335 kids here are not orphans in the true sense ofthe word. They arrive here by invitation (now with government help sometimes) after seeing evidence of neglect, abuse, or the inability to be properly caredfor. Many have come to live here afterbeing found by "Mama Ida" (Heidi Baker) while living in the streets or thecity dump, the Bocaria.
Lunch and supper truly is "rice with topping" as we were told - picture a giant vat of rice that isused to scoop more than two cups of white rice onto each plate, followed by a giant ladle of a topping - brothy beans, noodles and potatoes, cabbage, or the dreaded "green stuff" - sort of like bitter spinach with a peanuty flavor.
We are on our own to plug in and be pro-active about finding ways to serve while here. With over 1000 visitors each year, they certainly don't micromanage their short-term visitors! We have spent some time in the baby house watching & helping these wee little ones feed themselves big bowls of rice with meat and salad. Most were successful at getting the food in their mouths independently. when they finish they're given a cup of juice then it's movie time while their Tias (the Mozambican women employed full-time here) go through the ranks changing, bathing and putting on p.j.s. They climb right up on your lap - sometimes 2-3 at a time, with a hug and a grin. They love watches, keys and blonde hair (sorryKylie!)
We've done coloring under the shade trees- the kids meticulously color then return the markers (caps on) and also hand in their pictures. We did origami and while all I could create was an ugly frog-type thing, one of the boys taught me how to make a ball, so we adapted our plan.
Dan went to the Bocaria where he was amazed by the childrenwith nothing worshipping freely - unhindered to love the Lord lavishly and unabashedly.
The girls and I had an adventure of our own at Shoprite, the grocery store downtown, when we needed to find a bathroom. Not quite as easy as finding one in an American grocery store. We found some South African Easter candies and bought some staples which we can prepare in the visitor's kitchen if we want a break from rice.
We have attended four different church services - each lasting more than 2.5 hours. The Mozambicans LOVE to dance and they make worship into a dance party too. Almost every song has it's own set of moves and from the youngest to the oldest they get up there and dance in perfect rhythm.
At a monthly youth service held downtown in an old theater we saw dozens respond to the speaker's invitation to let Jesus be the lamb needed for you the 'Pass over' struggles in your life. They lined the front of the altar filled with hope and expectation.
We have met some incredible people - from the kidswho livehere, the volunteers who serve here, and other visitors from Germany, Canada, England and the US.
The girls at times have been overwhelmed by the language barrier. Please pray for them to make some connections with individual children. Kylie & Savannah love the playground, the tireswing, and chasing the two cats, Mitsy and Esperanza. Hand washing wasn't as exciting asthey had hoped - since there's only tubs, not washboards. Though Dan and Savannah still have slight coughs, it appears everyone is on the mend. Savannah has one big mosquito bite on her leg, and my ankles are a bit swollen from the humidity, but other than that we are well and tudo ben.
Please continue to pray for us to push beyond our comfort zones & explore all mninistry opportunities here. This week we plan on adopting a girl's dorm so we can focus on one set of childrento get to know.
Happy Birthday Dad! My time is up! Até logo!!
Our flights were rather uneventful aside from two temporarily misplaced passports at the JFK terminal, we had very smooth (yet uncomfortable) flights. We arrived in Johannesburg on time and the weather was overcast& cool. We explored some fun gift shops in the very cosmopolitan airport then boarded a short 50-minute flight (which included snack and drink!) to Maputo (Ma-POO-too), capital city of Mozambique. Here we disembarked on the tarmac and were greeted with muggy, enveloping humidity, as we should have expected, but are never quite ready for. All eight of our bags arrived and were waiting forus on the conveyor belt! A quick scan of our luggage through the x-ray machine and we were off. Now what? Several men wanted to help us with our luggage carts, and we tried to let them know we had it under control, but we weren't firm enough. We wandered outside like stray cats, past several taxi drivers and people with signs for World Vision and other individuals & organizations. A couple minutes later a young named Samuel(Sam-WELL) showed up with the Iris sign and a Toyota truck and we piled in.
Our journey to Zimpeto took about 40 minutes as drove out of the capital to the north. This trip was so reminiscent of Latin America, but with a fewnew twists- I
'd love to show you some pictures but 1) we only have 20 minutes and slow internet, and 2) taking pictures is ILLEGAL in most of Mozambique, so we are forbidden to do so except on the property and in certain locations..
Along with roadside fruit stands, corragated tin roofs, tropical vegetation, wandering goats, sandy roads covered in mud puddles from the previous night'srain, now we had people of varying degrees of chocolate brown - many women with babies wrapped onto their backs in large swathes of cloth, all women wearing skirts or capalanas. Drivers made their own traffic rules- honking to alert everyone of their whereabouts- same as Latin America, only this time they're (mostly) on the left side othe road. Cement brick factories, and used clothing stands are scattered about both sides of the road.
Portuguese may only be spokenby a small percentage in the country but it seems that everyone we've metin zimpeto & Maputo speak it. Tudo Bem (it's all good) is a common greeting heard among all.
The Iris property is quite impressive - enclosed within the guarded gate are: five boys dorms housing about 230 boys, 3 girls dorms (housing over 50 girls), a baby house holding 32 little ones ages 9 months - 5 yearsold, a nursery that holds up to 8 infants through age eight months (currently six are here). There's also a government-run school that doesn't only serve 250 of the iris kids, but also another 750 from the community. A large building doubles as church & the cafeteria. There are homes for several of the long-term staff, as well as a visitor's compound (where we are) with 10 dorm rooms. There's a huge playground made out of wood, barrels and ropes, a basketball court, soccer field, a garden, clinic, refreshment stand and parking lot for the many ministry vehicles.
Our perception of coming to help these "poor" children has been rocked significantly after seeing the structure in place here and the self-sufficiency of these children. the airhorn alarm sounds at 6:00am to wake everyone, and at 7:00 it rings again to beckon everyone to breakfast - a baguette atleast twelve inches long provides enough sustenance until the 12:30 lunch time.
I must point out that most of the ~335 kids here are not orphans in the true sense ofthe word. They arrive here by invitation (now with government help sometimes) after seeing evidence of neglect, abuse, or the inability to be properly caredfor. Many have come to live here afterbeing found by "Mama Ida" (Heidi Baker) while living in the streets or thecity dump, the Bocaria.
Lunch and supper truly is "rice with topping" as we were told - picture a giant vat of rice that isused to scoop more than two cups of white rice onto each plate, followed by a giant ladle of a topping - brothy beans, noodles and potatoes, cabbage, or the dreaded "green stuff" - sort of like bitter spinach with a peanuty flavor.
We are on our own to plug in and be pro-active about finding ways to serve while here. With over 1000 visitors each year, they certainly don't micromanage their short-term visitors! We have spent some time in the baby house watching & helping these wee little ones feed themselves big bowls of rice with meat and salad. Most were successful at getting the food in their mouths independently. when they finish they're given a cup of juice then it's movie time while their Tias (the Mozambican women employed full-time here) go through the ranks changing, bathing and putting on p.j.s. They climb right up on your lap - sometimes 2-3 at a time, with a hug and a grin. They love watches, keys and blonde hair (sorryKylie!)
We've done coloring under the shade trees- the kids meticulously color then return the markers (caps on) and also hand in their pictures. We did origami and while all I could create was an ugly frog-type thing, one of the boys taught me how to make a ball, so we adapted our plan.
Dan went to the Bocaria where he was amazed by the childrenwith nothing worshipping freely - unhindered to love the Lord lavishly and unabashedly.
The girls and I had an adventure of our own at Shoprite, the grocery store downtown, when we needed to find a bathroom. Not quite as easy as finding one in an American grocery store. We found some South African Easter candies and bought some staples which we can prepare in the visitor's kitchen if we want a break from rice.
We have attended four different church services - each lasting more than 2.5 hours. The Mozambicans LOVE to dance and they make worship into a dance party too. Almost every song has it's own set of moves and from the youngest to the oldest they get up there and dance in perfect rhythm.
At a monthly youth service held downtown in an old theater we saw dozens respond to the speaker's invitation to let Jesus be the lamb needed for you the 'Pass over' struggles in your life. They lined the front of the altar filled with hope and expectation.
We have met some incredible people - from the kidswho livehere, the volunteers who serve here, and other visitors from Germany, Canada, England and the US.
The girls at times have been overwhelmed by the language barrier. Please pray for them to make some connections with individual children. Kylie & Savannah love the playground, the tireswing, and chasing the two cats, Mitsy and Esperanza. Hand washing wasn't as exciting asthey had hoped - since there's only tubs, not washboards. Though Dan and Savannah still have slight coughs, it appears everyone is on the mend. Savannah has one big mosquito bite on her leg, and my ankles are a bit swollen from the humidity, but other than that we are well and tudo ben.
Please continue to pray for us to push beyond our comfort zones & explore all mninistry opportunities here. This week we plan on adopting a girl's dorm so we can focus on one set of childrento get to know.
Happy Birthday Dad! My time is up! Até logo!!
Monday, March 29, 2010
Ready....Set...Go???
Are we really ready for this? Are you ever ready for something like this? We've been whittling down the to-do list (and yes, adding things I remember, just so I can cross those off too). Did I mention that I'm the only member of my family not on drugs right now? No...literally. Dan and Savannah are coughing up "lung butter" (Dan's charming term - I prefer phlegm, just for the spelling pleasure). And Kylie is trying to get the fluid out of her ears so she can hear. Her phobia of waking up and finding herself in the same condition as Helen Keller is hitting a little close to home. No deaf jokes near her, please. :)
Aside from the laundry, cleaning, packing, restocking, how do you prepare? I'm sure we'll see things we couldn't even fathom. I'm sure we'll be stretched in ways we can't even imagine. And I'm sure we'll be thrown some loops that will baffle us all. Most of what we've conjured up in our minds won't match the reality of our experience. I don't think I can ever be equipped enough for this.
But, of one thing I'm sure of: We serve a Mighty God. I was reminded this morning in Psalm 143,
He can direct our steps, and just as He has done so far, He will continue to do. So, we'll pack one more bag, check off one more item on the list, and trust. Trust that He is able, faithful, and desiring to lead us in the path He has for us.
As our next two days involve lots of long flights, layovers, and possible frustrations, please join with us as we pray, "Lord, Your will, not our own."
453.Update blog.
Aside from the laundry, cleaning, packing, restocking, how do you prepare? I'm sure we'll see things we couldn't even fathom. I'm sure we'll be stretched in ways we can't even imagine. And I'm sure we'll be thrown some loops that will baffle us all. Most of what we've conjured up in our minds won't match the reality of our experience. I don't think I can ever be equipped enough for this.
But, of one thing I'm sure of: We serve a Mighty God. I was reminded this morning in Psalm 143,
"Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning,
For in You do I trust;
Cause me to know the way in which I should walk,
For I lift up my soul to You." (v. 8)
He can direct our steps, and just as He has done so far, He will continue to do. So, we'll pack one more bag, check off one more item on the list, and trust. Trust that He is able, faithful, and desiring to lead us in the path He has for us.
As our next two days involve lots of long flights, layovers, and possible frustrations, please join with us as we pray, "Lord, Your will, not our own."
453.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Preparation
Here we go! Just over two weeks until our dream of heading to Africa becomes reality. Now the time crunch starts- have I scheduled all the appointments? Can I start checking things off of the "to do" list? Is everything in good repair for our house sitters? Am I ready? Not just physically, but am I ready?
How do you begin to get ready for a dream you've had for 16 years? How do I erase all my preconceived ideas so I don't spend the entire time in disbelief? Lord, what will you do with our hearts when we get there? I'm scared. I'm nervous. I'm excited. I'm ready....almost.
How did we arrive at this place? Well, In 1994 God gave me (Tiffany) a heart for Africa. I wanted to go. I wanted to study. watch. read. absorb. Despite taking several other big ventures and trips, I never was presented with the right opportunity to go.
1998, Dan and I married. I'd mention Africa, Dan shrugged his shoulders, "yeah, sure, Africa would be fun." But no great passion was stirring him to join pursuing this dream of mine.
2000, Kylie joins our family. 2002, she starts talking about going to Africa. (My heart goes flutter, flutter). We ask her, "Kylie, do you want to go to Africa to tell people about Jesus?" In her honest, childlike response she states, "No, I want to see the wild animals." Out of the mouths of children....
2003, Savannah joins our clan and we're up to our eyeballs with pottytraining, strollers, diapers, pacifiers and the practicality of taking our family to Africa is looking to be...well, not...
Fast forward a few years... Years of growing up, learning from the school of hard knocks, and feeling restless. Here we find ourselves in Northern California - Dan is working at the job of his dreams, I'm schooling the girls and watching them grow in amazing leaps and bounds. I start conjuring up dreams of traveling the world, immersing into other cultures, and "living" school. I suggest living abroad, thinking Latin America as an obvious choice because of my Spanish-speaking abilities.
God steps in again. Dan attends a leadership conference where he is rocked with a broken heart for what is going on in Africa. He comes home, not talking about new ways to lead at church, but talking about AFRICA! This was completely off of my radar and took me by surprise. We started looking into some options that would use his medical skills, my teaching background, and would be open to families with small children.
Our search yielded surprisingly few options. We let it subside for a couple of months and thought it might have just been an emotional stirring.
However, God wasn't done with us. Mid October we attended a benefit concert for Courage House, a local California organization involved with rescuing girls from child sex trafficking. I'm still amazed at how the Lord weaves things together that seem to have little relevance! While others there were getting their hearts broken for the lives of young girls here in Sacramento, we were getting ours broken for the people of Africa.
The first song of the concert was a take of Brandon Heath's, "Give Me Your Eyes." In a song that we'd heard dozens of times, now a new twist and tug on our hearts would stir us. A Kenyan rapper named Samu bursts into worship in Swahili during the musical interlude. Words of praise and petition in Swahili to our Father caused Dan and I to become incapable of denying this calling. We looked at each other teary-eyed and knew. Africa is something we have to pursue.
We remembered an organization called Iris Ministries at which two of our friends have served. We started looking more into their mission statement and beliefs, and realized this could be a good fit for our family. While they do medical work, they also do community outreach, Bible schools, orphan care, and they embrace serving as a family. Long story short(er), we're checking it out for three weeks to see if it's a good fit for us and perhaps a longer stay in the future.
What will we do? A variety of things- holding babies, reading books in the library, playing games, going on community outreaches to the people who live in the villages, at the dump, and the urban areas of Maputo, Mozambique. Dan will work with their clinic at times. We'll observe how some of the orphan houses work - the baby house, the girls' house, the boys' house. We'll play games. We'll help. We'll be willing arms and legs to relieve the long term workers. We'll look for ways to plug in and see if this could be a place where we could fit in permanently.
Oh yeah, and we'll take a visit to Kruger National Park to hopefully see those wild animals that Kylie (and Savannah) are so thrilled about. (Check out the link to see the incredible video shot there a few years ago by tourists).
Will you join us on our travels? I'll try to update as often and thoroughly as possible, though I'm not sure how consistent our computer accessibility will be.
We are excited and expectant to see what the Lord will do during this time. Will you please lift us up in prayer?
Please Pray:
1) for our safety as we travel and are exposed to new bugs, viruses and diseases. Pray that the Lord would protect us and we'd be wise with our decisions.2) that we'd be active in seeking out ways to be useful during this time and make full use of our talents and gifts, finding that "click" of belonging and being purposeful, not just for Dan and I, but Kylie and Savannah as well.
3) for the Lord to speak clearly and specifically regarding what is next for the Bergman family.
4) for the girls: that they would experience the Lord in a deep and personal way during this time, find their purpose during this trip, and even direction for their path of life.
I believe if you click on the "subscribe to all updates" posts button on the top left corner, you should be able to get automatic email notification when we've updated this website. This will probably be the best way to stay in touch with us during our trip.
We fly out on March 30th from San Francisco to New York, then to Johannesburg, South Africa and on into Maputo, Mozambique arriving on April 1st. We'll be at the Zimpeto base of Iris Ministries until the 19th when we start heading back, through the same stops. April 13th & April 14th we'll be on safari in Nelspruit, South Africa at Kruger National Park.
We are grateful for friends and family to be a part of this journey with us as we embark on the unknown, taking a big step of faith (mixed with a little trepidation, and a lot of excitement).
We love you!
Dan, Tiff, Kylie & Savannah
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
