Gratitude
One of the greatest benefits of choosing the new lifestyle we have is to appreciate and be grateful for the many easily overlooked, but radically important "little things" of life. For example, a hot bowl of soup on a chilly afternoon. Electricity and warm water. A roof that doesn't leak and windows that aren't broken. People who speak the same language you do and people who are unbelievable patient when you attempt to learn their mother tongue. Fresh fruits and vegetables that only have to have the wax cleaned off to be edible and won't give you diarreah. TARGET, just kidding, ok, not really! Safe streets. Laws which may be a nuisance and punishable if broken but are responsible for creating a sense of order and security in knowing what is expected. High speed internet! The world wide web! (I know you are all laughing given my horrible record with checking my email in Minnesota. My how times have changed!) These are a few of the many overlooked blessings we have learned to be deeply grateful for here in Mozambique. Most of all we have realized how grateful we are for our friends and family. We feel extremely blessed to know how many wonderful people we have in our lives. Thank you for your interest in and support of our African adventure. For so many reasons we could not have embarked on this journey without all of you. Not the least of which is the continued daily support we receive from your emails, and instant messages and yes, even Skype phone calls. In a land so far away and so different from what we have known we feel very connected to our loved ones. So thank you from the bottom of our hearts for staying engaged with us and supportive of all that we are doing!
We continue to learn new things each day and are constantly growing and changing to adapt to our surroundings. Maputo is a fascinating city filled with travelers from all over the world who are more often than not here to make a difference. Not just for a job or even an adventure, but people who are genuinely interested in improving the quality of life for the Africans. We are excited about the things we see happening here. Steve has had some great opportunities to see firsthand the programs and projects that will potentially provide jobs and income for very poor and needy Mozambicans. In a small rural village named Lionde, Steve saw a small 15 hectare farm that was planted by World Relief and is farmed by HIV/AIDS volunteers (the volunteers are people who have been trained by World Relief to go into the villages and care for people dying from AIDS and educate others about HIV/AIDS). This farm and its vegatables will be the first "wage" that many of the workers have had in several years or even their lifetime. This project is looking for additional funding so 160 farmers will earn an income and also have enough food to feed their families. Another observation of the area is the lack of utilization of the water canals that provide irrigation to over 10,000 hectares of prime agricultural land in the Gaza province. The water is there, the resevoirs are there, but the fields are empty. Steve says, "I have learned that the issue with the farms is that the farmers will never have enough money to buy the input seed and fertilizer to plant the first crop. All of the crops have a market that is currently being filled by imported fruits and vegatables from South Africa." Thanks to the efforts of two other WR volunteers from the States (Steve and Rachel Good) the first 2 of many chickens houses have been built and inhabitated in Chokwe area. Steve was priviledged to see the 400 chickens which were full grown and ready for market. He was there at the market for the first day of sales and said, "You should have seen the smiles on the faces of the farmers when they sold their first chickens that they grew for 40 days. They were full of a sense of pride which will motivate them to continue to learn, grow and produce!" We continue to hope and pray that wherever effort is invested the results will be lasting, sustainable and replicable. Money is helpful and very much needed to fund the efforts, but much more importantly teaching, equiping and training people to have skills is really the key.
Last night we had two friends come for dinner. They are both smart, beautiful, motivated young women who have given more than a year of their lives to help transform lives. This country is not without issue, but when you talk to people who have sacrificed to come and trust God with the outcomes He never dissappoints. This place is hard to live in. You are constantly being begged for money, food, even shoes, but we know that the efforts that we will give God will use for His glory.
We hope that you are enjoying these small insights into life in Africa. Leave a comment for others to ponder. Send us suggestions of things that you would like to know or questions that you may have for us.
Pray for us. Pray for safety. Pray for patience. Pray for energy and strength. Pray that people would align themselves with this vision and that the funding for the business projects will come.
God bless you all.
The Sniders
We continue to learn new things each day and are constantly growing and changing to adapt to our surroundings. Maputo is a fascinating city filled with travelers from all over the world who are more often than not here to make a difference. Not just for a job or even an adventure, but people who are genuinely interested in improving the quality of life for the Africans. We are excited about the things we see happening here. Steve has had some great opportunities to see firsthand the programs and projects that will potentially provide jobs and income for very poor and needy Mozambicans. In a small rural village named Lionde, Steve saw a small 15 hectare farm that was planted by World Relief and is farmed by HIV/AIDS volunteers (the volunteers are people who have been trained by World Relief to go into the villages and care for people dying from AIDS and educate others about HIV/AIDS). This farm and its vegatables will be the first "wage" that many of the workers have had in several years or even their lifetime. This project is looking for additional funding so 160 farmers will earn an income and also have enough food to feed their families. Another observation of the area is the lack of utilization of the water canals that provide irrigation to over 10,000 hectares of prime agricultural land in the Gaza province. The water is there, the resevoirs are there, but the fields are empty. Steve says, "I have learned that the issue with the farms is that the farmers will never have enough money to buy the input seed and fertilizer to plant the first crop. All of the crops have a market that is currently being filled by imported fruits and vegatables from South Africa." Thanks to the efforts of two other WR volunteers from the States (Steve and Rachel Good) the first 2 of many chickens houses have been built and inhabitated in Chokwe area. Steve was priviledged to see the 400 chickens which were full grown and ready for market. He was there at the market for the first day of sales and said, "You should have seen the smiles on the faces of the farmers when they sold their first chickens that they grew for 40 days. They were full of a sense of pride which will motivate them to continue to learn, grow and produce!" We continue to hope and pray that wherever effort is invested the results will be lasting, sustainable and replicable. Money is helpful and very much needed to fund the efforts, but much more importantly teaching, equiping and training people to have skills is really the key.
Last night we had two friends come for dinner. They are both smart, beautiful, motivated young women who have given more than a year of their lives to help transform lives. This country is not without issue, but when you talk to people who have sacrificed to come and trust God with the outcomes He never dissappoints. This place is hard to live in. You are constantly being begged for money, food, even shoes, but we know that the efforts that we will give God will use for His glory.
We hope that you are enjoying these small insights into life in Africa. Leave a comment for others to ponder. Send us suggestions of things that you would like to know or questions that you may have for us.
Pray for us. Pray for safety. Pray for patience. Pray for energy and strength. Pray that people would align themselves with this vision and that the funding for the business projects will come.
God bless you all.
The Sniders
posted by Sniders in Africa at 9/03/2005 03:51:00 AM
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