A week in Mozambique...time with people we love, Yohani, HEAT, dirt, poverty, children, love, connections, heartbreak, HEAT, questions, amazement, conversation, play, mangos, cashews!, celebration, perspective, new friends, physical exhaustion, a beautiful beach, HEAT, rain...and a return...our first return to Kenya as "home".

We traveled to visit Christina, Victor and Yohani Carlos in Nampula, Mozambique. This is our second trip to a country during it's hottest time of the year. I also MOVED during each of 3 pregnancies?! Hmmmm....??? It was so hot that the kids said, "espera!" when we tried to initiate a game...meaning "wait", until the temperature went down a slight bit, just before darkness came at 5pm! As Christina says, "Mozambique is on the wrong time zone!" It gets dark at 5 and light at 5. Wouldn't you think they would want to adjust this...for their own sake? When the world is fully lit and everyone is up working at 5!?...why not push the clock a bit!? But this wasn't the only question raised about life in Mozambique. It is a place ravaged by war, corrupt government, difficult weather, challenging fresh water access, extreme poverty...and on and on...

The piece of land they have along the coast is spectacularly beautiful and with proper care could be a source of great income and enjoyment. As it is, few ever see it or benefit from it.

On the other hand, as always...there are wonderful people living in Mozambique, many of them children. We spent the week with close to 50 children who live with Christina and Victor at on orphanage just on the outskirts of Nampula. They were warm and hospitable, easy to connect to, willing to work with our terrible attempts at communication (Mozambicans speak Portuguese), happy, grateful...Fun!

We got to love on Yohani, Christina and Victor's incredible baby...now crowned as the easiest baby I have met so far! He loved us, laughed with and at us, and generally made us feel good in our souls!

We came to a new appreciation of what we have in Kenya...and the timing was perfect. Perspective is important, and especially at certain times! We came back with Joe, a friend of Erika's from her life at UW, who was at the orphanage when we got there. He is fabulous...and John is soaking up the opportunity of his companionship. We hope he sticks around for awhile!