Happy Easter

This was a very early morning. I was up at 4:30, because we were leaving at 5:30am to go to the Easter sunrise service down by the ocean. It started pouring rain at 5 and I figured we wouldn't be going then, but the rain stopped just before we had to leave. We took a taxi down to the ocean and there were about thirty people that came out. The pastor from Juanita's church shared with us and then we sang for a while. It was nice, it was kind of cloudy so not a real clear sunrise.

Singing a few Easter Hymns.

The Sun was so bright I couldn't really get a good picture of it.

The service was in a park right by the ocean. It is a very beautiful park that they had just made with in the past year or so. This area of Maputo is very nice it is higher so it was not affected by the floods like the lower areas.I guess the grass stays so nice because they have signs asking people not to walk on it.

A couple water slides still under construction

Here are the ladies I went to the Sunrise service with. Ya, I know Joia you think it is just hilarious that I went with three old ladies and it probably is, but I get a long well with old ladies. That's probably why I get a long with you so well. Love you lots Joia. (In case your wondering Joia is my sister and she is only 26)

L/R Thelma, Evangelina, Me and Juanita.

These ladies are amazing they have such great health. Thelma was a missionary in Guinea Bissau in North West Africa for thirty years she returned to England 4 years ago. She was doing translation work there. She has come here to do some thing with the Bible Society regarding the translation. She is 75 years young but she doesn't act like it. When we were walking back this morning she stopped to take a picture and we kept walking and she was quite a ways back and she broke into a run to catch up. I have never seen a lady that age run that fast. She still rides a bike in England as well. The only thing is that her hearing is going. She often cannot understand what Juanita says, so she asks me sometimes.

There are lots of missionaries coming through here. There has been 8 here since I have been here. Some come for a few weeks, days or hours whatever they need. I just love sitting down at meals and hearing them share there different experience and where they have been, it is an encouragement.

After the service we walked back to the house along the ocean.

This is the Naval Club

These are the two sisters that run the guest home. I was wrong I had said that they have both been here for forty years but Juanita has been here for about 25. She never married, Evangelina did but her husband died.

Some nice apartments over looking the water. Remember I did say that this is a nicer area of town all of Maputo is not like this.
They like big advertisements, like this one on the side of an apartment building. This is an advertisement for the MTN cell phone company, I think.

Nice flower growing in a flower box on the side walk.
I just thought that this was a very nice looking Canon store just among a bunch of houses.
This is a nice neighbourhood but crime is still very present, so many people have electrified wires on the tops of their walls or razor wire. People will steal your camera out of your hands while your taking a picture or steal your cell phone while your making a call. I think that is called "Being Bold."This is just the maternity ward of the hospital just up the street from here. The hospital covers more then a whole block. They say it is a quite good hospital, but for major surgeries people still go to J'burg if they can afford it.

Just after we got back at 8am it started raining again. We had breakfast together then I took a little nap before we headed of at 10:45 to walk to Maputo International Church. It is the church that Juanita goes to and it has an English service. It is mostly made up of English speakers working in Embassies and people working for NGO's (None Government Organizations), like World Relief and other relief organizations. It was pouring rain again after church so someone gave us a ride back to the house.

We had a man stop by for a few hours and he was here for lunch. His name is Tony he is from Brazil and is working in Northern Mozambique. About ten years ago he was working in Guinea when Thelma was there and they hadn't seen each other since. They had a lot of cool things to share with us. Well this is much longer then I was expecting it to be. I hope you all have a good time of fellowship with Christians today wherever that maybe.