Here, There and Everywhere....: August 2006

To love and be loved is the greatest joy in life....

I think this is very true... and I saw it in the faces of many little kids today. At one of the orphanages that we've been working at, it brings me great joy to see recognition in the faces of the little kids when we walk through the gates again, another day that we've come. You see their faces light up as they start to know they're loved... deeply.

I read a quote by CS Lewis in The Four Loves that describes quite nicely the way I feel about this issue:

"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal (I assume he means like a pet... or maybe for me a hippo). Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your own selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless- it will change. it will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable... The only place outside heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers... of love is hell."

I think that by choosing to love them and show them our love... we show them the Lord and choose to share Him with them. Because God is Love... (1 John 4:7-9)

Andrew... is this what bit you? haha!

Well, it seems that I only have about about three weeks left here in Africa and that makes me much more focused on the actual reasons that I am here. I realize that God has brought me here for his purposes- not my own. I realize that I have the ability to encourage those around me and to make a choice to consider them first, those that are staying here and continuing to work with the people and ministry here, rather than myself and all of things that I may want to do or see.

I was thinking yesterday about how much more comfortable I feel here now after a few months. About how I've made realtionships with some of the mozambicans and see them each week, visit their homes, bring them bread, and play with their kids. About how excited the kids get when they see us come through the gate at the orphanage.. how they're beginning to trust us and know that we're coming back and that we love them. About how surprised some of the youth are to see us show up at their events time and time again and realize that we are actually investing ourselves in the things they are working towards. About the way the girls smile when they hear how much better our portuguese is now and ask us... how did you learn that?

So, I'm pretty sure that riding through Maputo in the back of a truck at twilight just when the sun is beginning to hang low in the sky and cast a golden light over everything and witnessing the busyness of the city is just about the best thing ever.

Pictures of our house and.....

Girls Night with our swedish friend Helena!! Complete with an amazing dinner (that's where we used the coconut), chocolate fondue, and an old african romance film, "Out of Africa"... funny watching it actually in Africa : )