News
September 30, 2008
Dear Students,
It’s almost 2 months since you were in Nampula! We trust that you all went back to school and work and that nobody got sick from being here.
Now and then when we feel down or tired, we go through the messages you wrote for us in our guest book, and reading them immediately gives us so much encouragement to continue with the work with the boys.
We also want to express our gratitude for your sacrifice of leaving family and other comforts and expenses you put up in the trip just to be part of our work, and you really become part of us-
You left a mark in Nampula. It was good to see how patient and kind you were to the kids and they absolutely enjoyed every moment of it.
We wish you all the best in your future studies or work, that God will bless you and that you will become a blessing to many people who will cross your paths in life.
My kids seem to like group visitors, I guess the more the people the more the attention, now they are asking when are the visitors coming again?
Thank you all for the hard work of jungle gym and taking care of orphans and the school, t'was great to have you.
We are richer people because we met you - Remember to smile even when you're down, you can never go wrong if you put your life in the hands of God.
Please note we don’t have emails of all students if you have please pass on our gratitude.
From the hot Nampula sun!
Moises and Connie and the gang!
July 16th, 2008
Bom dia mis amigos,
How is everyone? From my greeting it looks like I´m in Mexico, but I promise I am in Nampula, and trust me it is 100 times smellier and dirtier here! Actually I saw the first sign of a sanitation department the other day, and there are now about 50 street lights, when last year there was only one! Things are looking up. The building looks amazing. I couldn´t contain my emotion when I saw it with Linley and we both had to step aside and have a moment! It is much larger than I thought it would be. The foundation that we built last year didn´t show the real scale of it all. I also understand why it has been taking so long to finish. I think I got used to how fast things work in Canada and how fast we were even working on it with the group here last year. There is normally only about 8 workers there working and only 2 are the same as last year. They are all Congolese refugees and are even sleeping there. They are extremely grateful for the work and are very nice. It helps that some of them speak french so I can say more than Masa (cement) and Masi (water) to them this year!! I will try to send some pictures next week.
There was also sad news when I arrived. Two street boys have past away recently, one of meningitis and one of an unknown sickness. It was hard to me to think about what it would be like as a 13 and 14 year old (the age of the two boys), all alone on the streets being so extremely sick. The fear they must have felt and the regret they may have had of not being at home with family. Moises was very upset about it and you could see that he really loves each and every one of these boys, no matter how hard of a time they give him sometimes.
There was also good news, all the babies that were so sickly at the orphanage last year have all survived and look like happy healthy plump little toddlers now! Some have even been taken home by their families. Sister Ashley was very proud of the fact that they are all doing so well, and with due cause, the sister work tirelessly to care for 90 children and should be proud.
It finally hit home this trip that I am helping these boys and that the building would never have been built had I not set my mind and heart into helping Moises and Connie. It also wouldn´t have been possible if I had been born into a different life in a different country. The support from the Calgary community has been inexplicably vital to all of this. I knew when I decided to go to WIC in 1997 that things were changing for me......geez who know it would come to this?! I wish everyone of you could come to Nampula and experience all this with me. Maybe soon some of you will, but I can´t explain what its really like to be here and what it means to me.
Okay enough of the sappiness! We are going to be in Nampula again tomorrow working at the pre-school or building a jungle gym at the dorm building (there isn´t much for the students to do as far as helping build at the building since its just plastering, electrical, and windows and doors so Moises thought we could design and build a little jungle gym!). Then on friday we go to Pemba for the weekend. So far this years group has been really great.
I hope everyone is well and having a great summer. It´s quiet cool here, but for me that is still hot! Oh, and if you are complaining about gas and food prices at home......please rethink it! Think about the fact that you can still eat and aren´t starving or having your children die of starvation in front of your eyes. Prices have sky rocketed here and its pretty grave for the poor. I also saw on the news that in Zimbabwe inflation has gone up 2,000,000%!!!! So take a break, sit down, enjoy life and loves those who are close to you like never before. We are lucky to be Canadians.
Miss you all and love you all lots,
Tiffany