Day Three - Traveling to Mozambique

Boy was I glad I showered before bed. The next morning we woke up late and had to rush to shove everything back in our suitcases, brush our teeth and cram everything and everyone back into the cars. At this point, Sue realized that she had left a bag behind in Johannesburg. Once we hit the road things went pretty smoothly. UNTIL...we reached the border.

The scenery was beautiful, there were incredible mountains, rivers, creeks, streams and many plantation style farms. Every where you looked there were sugar cane fields, banana trees, and pineapple fields. I even saw some monkeys climbing a fence and what I think were some hippos floating in a creek. It is winter in Africa and much of the vegetation along the road is brown. Many of the people will burn the grasses and scrub to try to control it. They also burn their fields to help add nutrients back to the soil. It was good to see more of the country in the daylight.

As I was saying we got caught up at the border. There was a line of traffic waiting to get through customs. We sat for about 2 1/2 hours waiting. Once we finally got through it was waaaay past lunch time and we hadn't had breakfast yet. We kept on driving and made it to Maputo around 2:00. We found the hotel easily and checked in. The elevator was a little scary, it didn't go all the way to the top floor - literally! Our rooms were on the top floor and the elevator got us close but stopped about 2 feet shy of floor level. The elevator was really old too and the doors were user operated rather than being automatic, so we could see the inside of the walls as the lift went up and down.

The difference between South Africa and Mozambique was like night and day. You could really tell just by looking around that SA had more money and better living conditions. This was really evident when we stopped for fuel. Some of us had to use the restroom and we were charged 2 metacais per person to use the very stinky and not so clean facilities. We soon found out that everything we did cost a few mets. Parking our cars on the street cost us a few mets - there was a person there to "watch" the car for us. We were the only white people in the city it seemed and when we went walking to get some cell phones and get some cash there were beggars that would come up to us. When we went for dinner we saw many people selling everything from carved wooden stools, to cashews, to jewelry and kaplanas. When we spied the kaplanas and went to bargain a sale, several other crowded around us and tried to horn in on the sale. It was similar to a feeding frenzy with sharks on Discovery channel.

Dinner was interesting, I ordered grilled prawns. They were pretty good but the weirdest part was seeing the eyes and legs and face of the prawn on the plate. It was good to get some nourishment and see some more of the city. The restaurant was situated on the bay along a boardwalk of sorts.

After dinner we went to a department store called Game and purchased some supplies that we would use for our training sessions at Bethel Center.

Day Two - Paris to Johannesburg

By the end of the day in Paris, my vision was blurring from lack of sleep and I was feeling dizzy. I found it near impossible to sleep on the plane across the Atlantic so it caught up with me on the green tour bus in Paris. I was so glad to see the airport! We had a little snafu getting our carry on luggage and making it through customs and security. Once we got everything sorted out we found a restaurant and had something to eat. We also had some time to freshen up, and do a little shopping in the terminal. Our flight ended up being delayed a while so we used the extra time for a small group bible study.

The flight to Jo-burg was about 10 1/2 hours. We were served dinner around 2am and I was able to get a little sleep - I think. Once we deplaned we stopped at the nearest restroom to brush our teeth and freshed up a little. Then we moved on to customs. There was a little bit of a line but we went through easily and then gathered our luggage. You should have seen the trolleys piled high with all of our many suitcases and duffle bags. The trolleys were made to travel down and up the escalators too, I thought that was really interesting.

We ended up spending several hours in the airport trying to find a rental car that could be driven into Mozambique. The van we had reserved was not allowed to leave South Africa. We finally settled on renting two smaller sedans and cramming all of our luggage into them. We fit everything in like a puzzle - including people. By this time I was still feeling extremely dizzy, I thought the fumes from the cars were adding to what I was already feeling.

Once the cars were loaded and our rentals were situated we went back into the airport for dinner. There was a big food court where we could choose from several different restaurants. Our pastor Jonathan told us we could not eat at Subway or Winky's. I voted for Nando's, a chicken place. Everything looked really good, unfortunately my stomach was roiling and I could only eat a few small bites before running off to the bathroom to be sick.

After several repeat trips to the restroom my stomach finally calmed down. Some of my group mates went to a nearby pharmacy and got me an over the counter medication that help settle my stomach. SO then we were off! I was glad to be moving again, it seemed that my dizzy spells were gone as long as we were moving. The medication made me sleepy and I was able to get some rest in the car. We drove for a few hours and stopped in a town called Nelspruit for the night. Nelspruit is about an hour or so from the border to Mozambique. We were able to have dinner at the hotel before turning in for the night. I skipped bible study that night and took a shower and went to bed.

Day One - Pittsburgh to Paris

Either sunrise or sunset from the plane - not sure which...I loved looking at the clouds from the plane and the sun made such marvelous colors as it moved across the sky.

This is Sue - trying to sleep on the plane. It was very noisy and a little chilly, so she did her best to combat both! Who needs sleep anyway....

View from the plane. It was neat to see the fields from the air. The land looked very different compared to the U.S.

At the Paris airport. The big sign in the background had letters that flipped when a new flight arrived. It was really cool to watch it work. The big green pillar had 2 or 3 different advertisements inside and rotated.

I am in Paris!!!

My lunch in Paris - a lovely ham and cheese sandwich on a baguette grilled panini style - yummmm!

The famous Moulin Rouge - shows are still performed here today!

The Louvre Museum - the large glass pyramid is the entrance.

Our group in the gallery where the Mona Lisa hangs.

Me and Mona...The most famous painting in the world! Bonus points if you know the name of the painter! The Mona Lisa hangs in the Louvre Museum and is seperated from the crowd by a plexiglass box and a wooden railing. This is about as close as a person can get to the painting. Of course Mona Lisa is not the only thing to see in the Louvre! Every place you look there is something amazing to see, including the building itself.

One of the last stops on the green bus tour was the Eiffel Tower. It was really amazing to stand at the bottom of one of the most famous landmarks in the world. For some reason I expected it to be green?!!

Home Again!

Hello friends and family! I have finally arrived home after a looooong travel. Sorry about the lack of posts while I was away, I was not able to get wifi and I was very busy while we were gone. I can say that my trip was amazing and I will be adding posts over the next few days to share my pictures and experiences with you. Thanks to all of you for the prayers - God really worked wonders for us and I can't wait to tell you all about everything!

Nitty Gritty

Well, we are getting down to the nitty gritty now. I will be departing in a little over 24 hours. I am still packing - in fact it looks like several mini tornados have swept through my bedroom over the last few days. I still have some things to prepare for the trip and my kids are driving me batty - I sure will miss them while I am gone though.

I am including a picture of the team that will be traveling to Mozambique. Please pray for us and that traveling is safe and easy and that we all stay healthy and strong on the trip.

Our first stop on our journey is Paris. We are hoping to do some sightseeing and spend some time at the Louvre. Then we will be off to Johannesburg, South Africa. I will try to add some new posts from the airport in France as we wait for the plane. Talk to you then!

Update 2

This week we are working more on curriculum and trying to plan out our days and how we will present material. We are still in need of interpreters and we are trying to remember to keep things simple. So far I have written a lesson on drawing because that requires the least amount of "stuff" to do. Now I wonder what to plan for next?

I have found out that all of the teachers do speak Portuguese so I will need to review that heavily before I leave. I think a brush up of French would also be good for the day we will be in Paris.

I have had a few more donations this week and now I only need to raise $785 for the trip. I was sweating it there for a while and didn't think I would ever get this close. But God is good and he will provide - just as he provides for all the birds in the air!

I will need to remember to take my Malaria medication on Wednesday. One of the side effects is having strange and bothersome dreams. I hope this is not the case as my dreams are pretty wacky as it is.

That is all for now!
Heather Lena

Donations Update

Thanks to all of you who have donated to my mission! I am happy to report that I am closer than ever to reaching my goal. I have only $860 left to go!

Right now I am working on the lessons that I will be presenting to the teachers and trying to work out which supplies I will need for the projects. We are planning a cooperative group cross-curricular workshop where each US teacher will be in charge of a station that the Moz. teachers will rotate through. Right now we are short on translators and this could change what we have planned. We are hopeful that God will put all the pieces in place and that we will be able to carry on with our plans.

We have also been working on a prayer tree that will have tags to hand out to parishioners to remind them to pray for us while we are gone. Our team will also be featured in a video during the services on July 4th and 5th. I am a little camera shy so I will skip that part....

Thanks again to all of you who are praying for me and sending donations. I am feeling very blessed to have so many interested and caring friends and family members!

New Info

First of all, thanks to all of you who are praying for me and the mission and the people in Africa and the mission team. I have had some generous donations this week and now I need $1,950 by the 19th. I know God will provide!

Checking my email today I have learned that we are renting a van to drive from Johannesburg, S. Africa to Maputo, Mozambique and that it is a right hand drive and a stick shift. Exciting! The trip will take about 8 hours.

We have also heard from Les who runs the Bethel Center and she has responded regarding the supplies we plan to provide for her teachers. She is overwhelmed with gratitude and we are excited to be able to provide a way for this awesome blessing to reach her and the teachers there. I am very excited to get moving and start helping rather than planning.

21 Days to go!!!

Pictures

This is a picture of some students and their classroom. Les (far right) is handing out some supplies for the children.

This is a picture of a teacher and her classroom. She is showing us her blackboard.

This is a picture of Les (far right) and some children. They are in need of clothing.

Updates!

SHOTS! Today I went for my second round of Hep A and B vaccinations. I also finished taking pills to protect me against Typhoid. Last week I also had a flu shot that is reccommended for foreign travelers. On the 17th I will have one more shot and then I am done until next year when I will need a booster. I also need to talk to my doctor about a anti-malarial drug and antibiotics in case of diarrhea caused by bacteria.

It has been a little scary learning about all the nasty bacteria, viruses and parasites that live in Africa but there have been plenty of people who have traveled there without incident so I feel better knowing that.

MONEY! So far I have raised a little over $1,000. That was enough to buy my plane ticket - now I just need another $2,300 for the rest of my expenses. The money will go toward my other travel and boarding expenses along with a few meals and supplies that we will buy for the teachers in Mozambique and their students.

I am really looking forward to sharing what I know with eager minds and to help improve the education of rural students. So I need your help! If you have been thinking of donating and keep putting it off - now is our time of need! Help me to help the wonderful boys and girls in Mozambique who have next to nothing - they are hungry for an education - let's feed them!

Prayer Itinerary

Here are some prayer suggestions for our mission in Mozambique:

Thank you so much for praying for the team. I ask that you also pray for the teachers attending the training as well as those of us who are presenting the training. Between now and the day we leave, I ask your prayers fo us as we prepare the training sessions and for Armindo, our liaison in Maputo, who is arranging our travel and accommodations while we are in Mozambique.

Here is our itinerary:

• July 8-9 - Leave Pittsburgh and travel to Paris (layover in Paris)
• July 10 - Arrive in Johannesburg - drive to Maputo (about 7-8 hours)
• July 10 - Maputo area (purchase materials to distribute to the teachers to take back to their students after the teacher training)
• July 11 or 12 - Drive to Bethel Center in Xai Xai (pronounced Shy Shy)
• July 13-16 - Teacher training at Bethel Center (see previous posts for pictures) Pray for the team, the teachers we are training and the villagers of Xai Xai.
• July 17 - Drive to South Africa
• July 18 Kruger park photo safari
• July 19 - Fly out of Johannesburg to Paris
• July 20 - Return to Pittsburgh

Please pray for strength and good health to all of those involved in this mission and for safe travel while the team is gone. Thank you so much for all of your help and prayers! May you be blessed in return!

T-Shirt Design

The long awaited design has been added to skreened.com - click the link on the left to see the design. All the money that I make from sales of t-shirts and totes will go directly to pay for my trip. You can choose which item to have the design printed on, the color size and everything. The women's sizes run very small so you may want to pay close attention to the sizing chart.

Here is a sneak peek at the design!

New Insights

Hola! This week at my Portuguese class we had a special guest speaker. Jennifer Telfer is an American who at the age of twelve moved with her parents to Mozambique and stayed until she graduated from high school. She came to share some of the customs, answer our questions, and correct our speaking skills for our trip to Mozambique. Jennifer now lives in Sudan and works at a children's home - AMAZING! Click here to visit Jennie's blog and read about the work she is doing!

Here are some of the things that I learned:

• Women keep their bottom halves covered past the knee
• Meals seem to be very simple - rice, xima (a grits-like paste made from corn), sauce or soup and fruit and bread
• When swimming women need to wear capris or long shorts over the swimsuit
• When purchasing items you are expected to barter for a lower price AND that by paying a higher price for an item you can inadvertantly cause an economic crisis. Once a seller knows they can get a higher price for an item they will charge that price for the locals too. That cuases a strain on families who may only earn $100 metacais/week
• $1.00 American = $25.00 metacais
• Women are not supposed to cross their legs when sitting (on a chair or on the floor) - Crossing the legs is a show of control/responsibility/person in charge.
• When greeting women will touch cheeks much like Europeans - offer the right cheek first and "kiss" twice.

I am even MORE excited to go now! I look forward to eating new and strange foods, communing with people of a different culture and improving my language skills in Portuguese, not to mention showing love to others by offering help and training.

As of today I have raised $665.00 for my trip and I still need $2,835.00 to reach my goal. I can use all the help I can get - even just a few dollars will get me that much closer to my goal! Please help if you are able!

Obrigada,

Heather Lena

Change in Dates

I was just notified this week that the date of our trip has been moved up. We will now be leaving July 8 and returning on the 20th. This will be a better time to meet with our teacher learners and give us a chance to observe them in their classes.

I would also like to thank Andy S. and Brenda H for their generous donations for my trip! Thanks so much for helping me get so much closer to my goal!

Boa noite!
Lena - Heather

WOW!

One of my fellow teachers has found a website of the community center where we may POSSIBLY be staying. Take a look! That is the Indian Ocean in the background!

What a wonderful setting and peaceful place to live and learn and teach. Click the picture to see more photos of the Bethel Centre and to read about it's mission and history.

First Language Class

We had our first official planning meeting last week and I am happy that we will be staying somewhere with access to water. I am not sure what the toilet situation will be, but at least I will be able to brush my teeth and wash my face. This will be good for our teacher/learners too as we will be able to provide lunch for them when they come for the workshops.

Last Thursday was also our first Portuguese language class. Our teacher is Carla and she brought her niece Clara to help us with our pronunciation. I have decided to call myself Lena after my middle name Lynne so that the Mozambicans will have an easier time pronouncing it. I think Heather would be too difficult - not only is the /th/ strange but the hard /h/ at the beginning would be too much for them. So Lena it is!

Bem dia!
Lena

One Step Closer!

My passport arrived today! Yippee! I was worried that it would not arrive in time for me to hand it over again to my group so that we can apply for a visa. Pheeew! I am glad that wait is over.

I am also happy to report that I have had my first donation toward my trip! Thanks to Helen B for generously giving financially to help support the group! You are such a wonderful First Place leader and an amazing example to us all, I am so glad that you are my friend!

Feliz Pascoa (Happy Easter),
Heather

SHOTS! Yikes!

Talked with my doctor's office yesterday about all the shots I will need for my trip. Some of the side effects look pretty nasty. I hope I can get most of them through my doctor so that my insurance will cover the cost. The immunizations required are:

• yellow fever
• tetanus
• Hepatitis A
• Meningitis
• Polio
• and some medications for Malaria

Learning Portuguese

Hello Friends!
I will be learning to speak Portuguese so that I can communicate with fellow teachers while on the trip. My first class is coming up on the 16th and I can't wait! Be sure to ask me to say something when I see you next!

Tchau!
Heather

How Can I Help?

Would you like to make a difference in Mozambique? There are two ways you can help me on this trip.

1. Most important - please pray for Mozambique, for me and for the team. Pray every week between now and the trip and every day while we are gone. God does wonderful things through prayer!
2. Consider giving financially to the costs of the trip.

• My cost will be roughly $3500.00 and all of that will be funded through donation and by those going on the trip.
• The first installment toward the trip is due April 16.
• Once my goal is reached, any extra funds will be applied to group-wide expenses.
• To make a donation please make a check out to Crossroads UM Church. In the memo line please write "Moz. Teachers Trip July 2009 - Heather Humbert"
• Donations can be sent to Crossroads United Methodist Church, 1000 Crossroads Drive, Oakdale, PA 15071 - Phone 412-494-9999

By praying or giving you can make an impact in an area of the world that you may never visit yourself! Thank you for your prayerful support of what God is doing in Mozambique. May you have many blessings in return.

In Him,

Heather

Official Letter

Greetings Friends!
On July 22, I will be departing for Mozambique, Africa, to help train teachers with my church, Crossroads United Methodist. Last year our pastors met with leaders from the Mozambican government, Mozambican churches and various Christian aid organizations and repeatedly heard them ask for more training for their teachers. After almost 25 years of war for independence and civil war (1968-1992) the educational infrastructure was shattered, but it is on the mend. The country as a whole is hard-hit by the AIDS epidemic and that means that some qualified and trained teachers have died as a result. During our time in the country, we will be working in the village of Licilo, leading workshops for teachers from the surrounding areas. We are working in cooperation with the local government, the United Methodist Church in Mozambique, and another Christian organization in support of education called the JEC.

This is the first trip taken by our church to Mozambique, but it will not be the last. We have made a commitment to continue to be involved in the country in ongoing ways that make a lasting impact. We pray that God will use us to expand the way he is already working and growing his kingdom.