A Trip to Town!

I bring you good news! We finally got our luggage this Friday. We spent some time at the Chimoio airport while Dwight was taking Rick, Heather and Matthew for a flight over the farm. This was Matthews first time being in an airplane and he felt a little apprehensive mixed with a dash of excitement. I think there was more apprehensiveness than there was excitement but there was not time for Matthew to contemplate his decision. We met Dwight at the airport and he had the plane ready to fly. At the last minute he realized, with only Rick and Heather going, he would have an extra seat and invited Matthew to come along! It was one of those moments you are given an opportunity to do something that is a little scary and a little exciting and you hastily reply yes because you know this is a chance of a lifetime that may never present itself again. After agreeing to this precarious adventure your mind begins to process if you truly made the right decision. In the end Matthew was glad he went despite the head spinning he felt when he finally reach the ground again

While the gang was flying high in the sky Nat and I were waiting to hear of our luggage. The receptionist at LAM air was on the phone to Maputo and Johannesburg trying to track down our luggage. She finally located it in the Maputo airport as it was stuck in customs. We have no idea why and nor do we care! We are just happy to have our own cloths to wear.

After getting our luggage sorted out we all went to the market to by some essentials for the orphan program. For this years “Give a unique Gift” promotion one of the gifts you could by was a school pack for an orphaned child. Nat and I were helping Rick and Heather make the purchases for these packets to be given to 24 children who don’t have to money to go to school.

First on the list was buying a worm blanket for the child. While shopping in the market you have to remember that your white skin will automatically give you a discount… yes a discount that some how doubles in price!! To a savvy Mozambiquen businessman, a white person has too much money and no brains to hold onto it. Well this man has never met Heather before. She was told by Gorge, one of the local men who work for the farm, that $250 Mets (about $5 US) was a fare price. Even Gorge’s mouth dropped when Heather told him she got 20 blankets for $200 Mets each!


Next was buying capolannas, which are wraparound shirts for the girls. Heather and I had to model these gorgeous fabrics for the camera while Rick tried to hurry us along! I think it’s pretty universal that guys don’t like to shop with their wives so Nat and Rick kept each other company through their misery.

Just for fun we picked up some nail polish for all the girls.

At our last stop in the market, where Heather was buying the last of some t-shirts for the boys, we all sat down for a bit of a break. Rick jumped up and took the camera from Nat and said “ Go snuggle with your wife for a photo. Nat, without a word uttered, sat in between Matthew and I, wrapped his arm around Matthew and smiled for the camera! We all laughed at Nat's humorous gesture but not near as hard as we did when Matthew placidly said “ ARE YOU LOST, MAN?”

That’s better!

Each child will be receiving a maze bag to carry their meal maze, which is their main source of food, a water jug for hauling water from the community well, blankets, clothing, mandatory school supplies required for them to attend school, soap, tooth past and tooth brushes. As fun extras we added lotion, nail polish and some hair pins for the girls as well as cars, tennis balls and soccer balls for the boys. Join us next weekend as we deliver these gifts to some unexpectedly blessed children.