beautiful Africa

A few days ago Stefan and I left our work and the city behind to spend a morning hiking around in some land further out in the district. Well, I guess it wasn't completely leaving work behind since part of our time was spent looking together at the land where the Christian International School will likely be buitl (the project Stefan has spent the past two years working on). It was so great to spend the morning out in the open climbing rocks, wading through a few marshes, and walking through a few "machambas" (the local farms) planted with rice, peanuts, corn, sourgum, and manioc. It was nice to dream, too, about the possibility of moving outside the city when we return to Mozambique a year from now... The past four years we haven't exactly spent much of our time in the beautiful part of Africa; rather, we've been in the city--croweded, oppressive heat, overwhelming smells, sewage and trash, violence and noise. And by God's grace we've managed to stay sane and learned to find beauty in small things. But how refreshing it was to be surrounded by physical beauty again!

So while Stefan and I were out on our fun "date," some friends cared for Cohen and Christian on a nearby farm. They had so much fun playing with the animals and exploring the extensive grounds. They were completly hot, sweaty, tired, and rosy-cheeked by the end of the day--just the way I like my boys! Wesley stayed home and spent the morning with one of her favorite people--Ana, our house helper, who adores and completely spoils her.