Who's on First and What's on Second...

With all due respect to the old Abbott and Costello routine by the same name (seen at this link), sometimes there are so many needs, that it's difficult to know which job needs to be done first. Here are the ASAM farm in Mozambique, the Mercy Tech Mission team is elbow deep in a number of endeavors. Here is just a sample...

Rick, Ron Wayner, and Andy Kuret testing out Rick's first house wiring job on the Mercy Air house

Moving one of Bob's trusses...it takes 14 guys. That's one heavy truss.

Trusses on their way to the Training Centre

Checking out the final section of concrete flooring at the Training Centre

Rick fixing a motorcycle tire for the local constabulary...

Bob and Andy visit the cattle pens across the river

Izzy needs more repairs...again

Ron Wayner sizing up some logs for the bridge to the future airstrip

Loading the logs onto the Hino...by hand (photos by Bob the Logger)

Rick inspecting the progress at the Training Centre

Rick trying to find Bob...

...who's playing hooky with Magnum down by the river (not really)

In the end, there are more jobs to do than there is time in a day...the trick is in discerning priorities, and remembering that it is all about people first. God is doing some amazing things in the lives of the Mozambican people, and it's a privilege for us to be a part of it.

Fani playing the new cajon during morning devotions with the workers.

That's all for now, so have a great weekend...and don't forget Who's on First.

Who'll Stop the Rain...

The rains that usually come in February have now begun in the middle of March. We've had some real downpours, enough rain to find the tiny holes in our tents and dribble across the floor. While it's great for the farmers, it does slow down the work. Yesterday, the humidity was 91%.

But you do what you can. Here are a few photo updates:

Bob discussing window frames on the Mercy Air house with Ron Wayner

Removing a layer of bricks to make things fit

Rick installing some house wiring (thanks to Barb Wayner for the above photos)

Replacing the front brakes on the Toyota Van

The reason we want to build a maintenance shop!

Then there's the Saturday afternoon projects, like building a cajon (a Peruvian drum)



Bob the Builder is at it again...



You use what wood you have available...in this case an old packing crate.



Then Bob got to visit a nearby school

He even took a stab at making lunch...

And of course, the obligatory ride around the school grounds in the missionary's truck before leaving.

And now for the rigors of everyday life...

Shopping for food

Shopping for lumber

Getting to know the locals

And for those who are worried about our diet (especially our wives), you can see that we eat pretty good

For the record, the best tasting of all these healthy foods is the Mint Crisp (middle left)

Thank you for your prayers. So far (other than the withering heat and humidity) we are doing well. Pray for good weather so that we can finish the projects we've started in the remaining two weeks that we have left here in Mozambique.

A special thank you to those who have given financially towards this trip, as well as to the Mozambique Maintenance Shop project. Your generosity today will reap great rewards in the days ahead as we seek to provide skills training for the people here in this needy land.

Making Sawdust; Moving Soil

In keeping with the theme of this blog, we're deep into our work getting dust on our shoes and dirt on our hands. Here's a few photos to bring you up to speed.

We begin with sawdust...lots of it.

Bob's truss factory...

Proof that the big guy is getting his hands dirty...

Mozambicans are always ready to pose for a photo

Now we get to the 'moving the soil' part...

Clearing brush for the site of the new Maintenance Shop

Marking out the foundation

Digging the foundation...by hand

The big hole marks where a tree stump had to come out

But it's not all work and no play.

Badminton anyone?

Rick makes a mean Hamburger Helper...

Bob and Joao cleaning some locally-caught fish (tasty, but boney)

Bob the Builder transforms into Bob the African Bushrunner

Rick checks out the foundations for the bridge to the airfield (obviously still under construction)

Then there's always church on Sunday...where the visitors get asked to preach the sermon...

Both of us...

Can you guess which white guy was more long-winded than the other?

Some Photos For Your Enjoyment...



Bob concentrating on some plans.



Yes dear, I can do dishes...

Buddy, the local pet Klipspringer.



Bananas being grown on the farm.



Local axe used to cut down trees.

Rick standing on the site of the future Maintenance and Training facility at ground clearing stage.

Bob relaxing.

Home, sweet home.

Some call this 'Turtle Rock.'

The finished campground lappa where we like to relax...

Bob cooking dinner while Joao watches.


Long, hot days with lots of work ahead of us. We're enjoing our work, and continue to appreciate your prayers and emails; more to come soon.

The Nature of the Beast

Wild animals refuse to be tamed...that's why they're called wild.

This elephant in Kruger Game Park didn't like having us around, and we found out why. She had a baby elephant in tow (hidden in the grass). Fortunately for us, her fake charges were just that - fake.

Missionary life is something that refuses to be tamed as well. Whether it's losing your laptop while going through airport security, or having to fix the plane you're flying in, it's the kind of life that just loves surprises.

In spite of that (or maybe because of it), Bob and I are enjoying this trip and wouldn't trade it for the world. After getting settled in, we took a tour of ASAM's primary school (Saturday, so school is out - no kids).

Sunday meant a visit to the local church with lots of singing, drumming, dancing, and great sermons. It was a real cross-cultural experience!

Now it's Monday, and our first day on the job. Bob has been busy pouring over building plans, trying to figure out how to build roof trusses out of lumber called ironwood milled to non-uniform dimensions, while gluing back together an $800 electric drill that somebody dropped and broke (no, it wasn't us!). Rick has already been repairing electrical wiring at the wood shop while helping the staff remove some stubborn tires from the big truck. All in a days work.

At the end of the day, everyone's feeling a little dog-tired...but it's a good tired, and it comes with the territory.

It's the nature of the beast.



Trouble in the Ethernet

My apologies for not updating this blog, but we have been unable to get on the Internet since leaving the hotel in Johannesburg. Firstly, the guesthouse in White River (where we spent a couple of days that included a great trip into Kruger Game Park) had decided to discontinue their service of providing Internet to guests.

Secondly, upon arriving in Mozambique we discovered that my laptop was left and/or stolen back in South Africa - still trying to check that one out. Prayers are appreciated..

The folks here at the ASAM farm graciously donated the use of a brand new laptop for me to blog on, but when we tried to connect to the Internet this evening, it not only wouldn't connect, but it effectively blocked all the other computers on site as well!

So while it sits in detention in the corner (shut down, of course), I'm typing this message on the office computer...which means I can't upload any of our fantastic photos. Bummer...

So... we'll try again tomorrow, and if I still can't do any photos, I'll try to at least give an update on our trip. Bottom line is that we're doing fine and looking forward to getting into the work on Monday morning.

Thanks for checking in, and we'll be back soon (I hope...)