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Monthly Archive for December, 2005
Hilary finds water coming from a rock during the driest time of the year in Mozambique.
Living in Mozambique can be a trial for an American woman used to the comforts of home, trying to raise your kids in a strange culture, struggling to make a menu from local foods, trying to stay clean when everything is covered with dust, dust, and more dust. But there’s joy in the exhaustion and happiness in being where God wants you to be. Our family is dearer to us around the world than they would be living next door and the scriptures are more alive when you live in such a spiritually needy place and are yourself so in need of God’s living water. 
David takes a break on a hike in the Dzuntsa mountains.
Alright, I’ll admit it gets a bit toasty in Mozambique during the summer, and there’s mosquitos, and black mambas, and crocodiles, and weird food, and no high speed internet …
But on the other hand in Mozambique you get to speak weird languages, meet some really friendly people, drive a 4×4 (and you really need it!) and have a chance to make a positive impact on the world.
I’d be more comfortable living full-time in the U.S., but I’d also be really BORED!
The Ker cottage in Dinthi Mozambique
This is a two-bedroom one-bath house. It’s about 900 square feet. The house was made with all local materials from Mozambique although we imported a few fixtures from South Africa. We ran out of time and money to finish all the projects on our house but we enjoyed living there during June though September of 2005. The thatch roof helps keep things cool during the hot season.
Living in the village of Dinthi gives us a chance to experience Mozambican rural life as well as live in a place that is mostly monolingual. This helps us to learn Nyungwe better since in the city many languages are spoken and people are reluctant to speak Nyungwe with us.
Other advantages of living in the village are: friendly neighbors, lots of room for the kids to roam and play, a higher altitude (so it’s cooler), and no rent and utility bills.
For electricity we have solar panels. Water comes from a nearby well.
What’s it like to find yourself surrounded by people dancing and singing in a language that you don’t understand? How does it feel to always stand out in crowd? Here Eleanor has found herself at a Mozambican Independence day party in Dzuntsa. Even though there’s lots of noise and she’s not sure what to do she just enjoys the sights and trusts that if Dad got her into this, everything is going to be O.K.
Clockwise from top-left: Henry, Eleanor, Benjamin and Andrew see the world in a way few American kids get to: living in a village in Africa, traveling around the world and enjoying the best of many cultures and people. Ask them where home is and they’ll tell you it’s Mozambique. Only Benjamin was born there but they’ve all spent most of their life living in Mozambique.