Dearest friends and family,
We arrive back in Mozambique tomorrow following a 2 month break after our first full year of service in Moz. So many of you we had the pleasure of visiting with in England and America, and if we missed you, we apologise for this. To our friends and family whom we visited with, it was such a pleasure to catch up with you and your babies and your lives!! It has made it harder to return (especially for me, Sheri) as we (I) count the cost of being away from new neices and nephews who will not know me during these beginning years. We count the cost and yet are still so sure we're where He wants us - our hearts have felt the tug of being away from Mozambique for so long and we are so excited to get back there!
Just to catch those of you up who have been wanting to know since our last blog, it is said that little 6 year old Shelton who has struggled with his health for the entire of our first year in Moz is starting to seem somewhat better. I hope to see an amazing improvement in him on our return (which is Friday evening, May 20th - and I am currently writing this blog in the Dubai airport as we await our next flight that takes us to Johannesburg, South Africa).
Little Gloria who came as a 3.5kg 10 month old (that's approx 8 pounds for those of you wondering) is gaining weight in leaps and bounds - she's now well over 5 kg and I cannot wait to see her!
There's news that we now have a brand new 1 month old weighing 1.5kg (3 lbs), we have named him Inacio and we would appreciate prayers for his vulnerable little body and that he would gain weight and remain healthy now in the presence of our loving Iris family!
Matthew spent a good bit of his time off from work researching and ordering technical bits and bobs (small pieces for computers, little web cameras, etc.) to take back with him to Mozambique. As you can imagine it is much easier for him to find all the little pieces he may need or that will aid him in future projects outside of Mozambique. So, his luggage is packed with so many little valuable pieces and instruments that will contribute to this next year of IT work.
On our return to Mozambique, Matthew expects to have to fix up a few of his projects that were running well on his departure, but in his absence seem to have taken a beating and little intervention after help left. One of his strong suits has always been problem solving, so he will have everything up and running smoothly in no time.
My (Sheri's) work on the other hand has become a bit more tenuous. There have been a few drastic occurrences and changes since our departure which makes us keener to get back ASAP. About a month before we left for our 2 month holiday, the Brazillian director of our clinic who helped run it for 8 years moved on to help with a new ministry and base that is being built up north. Her moving on has left a huge hole of knowledge and experience. Our directors asked me to consider overseeing the entire children's base medically (including managing/running the clinic) and to integrate the clinic care with babyhouse and the HIV+ children which has always been kept a bit separate as a specialty. I stepped into this role just a month before we came away for our vacation. Daily, my interest and passion for this new perspective has increased considerably to the point where I desire to do this (and most of all let God do this through me as I fought it for so long with the excuse of incapability - but through Him all things are possible and in my weakness He is strong and all I have to be is willing). In this journey I have not only become willing, but I am desiring to see Him move in the medical work at Zimpeto.
BUT about a week after we came away the Ministry of Health (which would be comparable to the NHS in the UK and whatever organization is responsible for registering and maintaining medical services in the US) - who has the right to come in and do surprise inspections on our registered clinic at their leisure, did just this. As a result of this inspection the MoH raised a few concerns for which we were to address within 6 days. We were compliant in this and addressed these concerns to the best of our capability and felt that we were in the ok. However, just last Wednesday the Ministry of Health came onto our base with the intent of closing our clinic - they gave us 10 minutes to get whatever out of the clinic we needed and then they nailed the door shut and chained and bolted the door. In this whole process the MoH never gave us any documentation stating their concerns or anything else. There is much I am not clear on because I am not there to discuss it properly, but I know it is an absolute eyeopener to everybody on base. We do not feel this whole process has been done above board and we feel it is a tragedy, not for us as the Westerners, but for the Mozambicans, our surrounding community and the children. Our Health Post (clinic) is the only one in reach of the city that provides completely free healthcare - see a nurse, see a doctor, have tests done and receive treatments all for free - the Mozambicans do not have to pay a cent when they come to our clinic. And it is their own Mozambican staff who care for them and occupy the positions on staff in the clinic - we employ Mozambican nurses and doctors and it is these who lose out. Once a week we have a community day where the community is welcome to come in and be seen by medical professionals, another day during the week we open our doors to new mothers in the community who have malnourished babies and cannot breast feed. These mothers and their babies get seen by doctors and then are provided with milk to nourish their babies...we've seen tremendous improvement in the health of these mothers and babies. Our doors are always open to our own Mozambican staff (of which we have hundreds of paid Mozambicans working on base during a week), and our approximately 300 children to care for of which over 40 are HIV+ and over 50 are under 4 years of age. Many are malnourished, and many come sick. These are the ones who will lose out.
This has refocused our eyes on what God can do and not what man can do. I do feel that the last years we have become distracted by the gift of the clinic and we have focused on what man can do (through medicine and knowledge - which are gifts from God) but possibly in some areas God has been replaced. We need to refocus on His healing power and that in all of these situations, closing of clinics, sick babies, maintaining registered clinics, a needy community He is the answer and we need not to forget that it is not by might and not by power but by His Holy presence (Zec 4:6) that we are capable of making a difference in any of these things!
We will stay in touch as more information comes out and this situation unravels. Please also be in prayer about needing more nursing staff - however God wants to provide them - our numbers more than halve by September (and actually those nurses who took my hands-on work in the babyhouse and with the HIV+ children leave in 4 weeks' time). Come September there will be 2 western nurses left (me and another), and only one of us lives on base 24/7 (and that is me!). We do not know how we will be able to fight for our clinic as well as take care of all of our children - so we really need His wisdom and leading!
We both are really looking forward to getting back to the centre for all of the above reasons - to confront them head-on and with God's solutions - we are also looking forward to being back with all of the beautiful children...and to no longer live out of our suitcases, desiring to stay put for a while (as during our 2 months home we have taken 12 individual flights). We are also looking forward to the warmth - as Mozambique moves into winter it should feel more like an American Spring or Summer.
We love each and every one of you - we value your support, encouragement, love and prayers!
Love from us,
Matthew & Sheri
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