A normal day...

As I sit here trying to think what to write to update you all, memories of these last few weeks go through my mind. Some I still can’t believe I saw and some that are little bit of delights that make each day. So I have decided to once again; write down a normal day. So where to begin…well lets start with what today was like.

7:30am The alarm goes off, although I have been awake since 6 as that is when my neighbour decides to turn on his dance music.

I get up and ready, I talk to Juliana who helps clean our house and do our laundry. I organise things for her to do.

8:30am I go to the Barraca’s to find my friend Precious. She has had an infected thumb for a while now. It has gone in the thumb and is getting really bad. She keeps going to witch doctors, which is making it worse. I asked if she would come to the Iris clinic with me to get some medicine. Sadly when I got to her Barraca I find out that she has decided to stay at home.

I then return to my house to make a sticker chart for the toddlers.

9am I get to the children’s base and go straight to our Noviane base to hand money to the head member of each family for food. Here we have three houses that house families that used to live on the street. When I get there I welcome our new Mozambican staff member that has moved into a house on the little base. I then find out one of the girls there is ill so I take her back to the children’s base with me to go to the clinic.

9:30am I am seen by one of our lovely nurses who looks over her and tells us to keep an eye on her and gives her medicine for the headache. So after giving her some TLC I take her back home to sleep.

10am I then go to our beautiful baby house and make sure everyone is ok. Talk to the Tias and then put the babies down for a nap.

10:30am Drive into town to get snacks for the toddlers. I pick up some bread rolls, peanut butter and some fruit.

11am I go into the children’s office to have a meeting with our children’s director, which is the interrupted with me having to run out and get school uniforms for the children in Noviane. I then return to finish the meeting.

12:30pm I go home for some lunch. There one of the ladies who used to be a prostitute came to my house. I am doing bible study with two ladies each week. I provide food for them at the moment. She was here to tell me that she couldn’t make bible study this week, as the other ladies baby is sick in hospital. When someone is in the hospital here a family or friend has to make your meals each day. So this is what they were doing. The mother stayed with the baby and the other made food and brought in needed supplies.

13:10pm I return back to the children’s base with Ana who I work under in the baby house. We sit down and talk to each one of our Tias (Portuguese for aunty – they look after the children) We make sure each one is doing well and if they need anything. We then arrange bible study for our 4-6 year olds.

2:20: We wake up our 4-6 year olds from their nap and do bible study with them. We talk about turning the other cheek. Most of them are going into the first year of school so we wanted to teach them that when they are provoked. They need to walk away.

3:30pm: I arrive home with my housemate Ali. She is going to a hotel/restaurant to book the swimming pool. She is taking all 14 of our 7-12 year old girls to the pool this weekend. So while she is there she offers to get me take-a-way. I take up the offer quickly. J

4pm: I eat my early supper ready to settle down for the night.

6pm: I get a phone call to say the little girl from Noviane is really sick and needs medicine. I then phone our Doctor to ask what to do. We then decide to give paracetamol for the fever. I then have to find a car to get there. In the time it takes to get a ride over it starts pouring with rain, which with the dirt floor makes floods. I have to walk through a river full of mud and rubbish to get to the Noviane base to give the medicine. I return home quickly after as the person who gave a lift needed to go onwards to somewhere else.

6:50pm: I get another phone call saying that the little girl hadn’t been able to keep the meds down so I once again get a ride to the base and walk through the river to get her. I take her home with her older sister to wait for the doctor.

7:10pm We clean her up and get a bed made for her to rest on while we wait at my house. I put a movie on and make some plain rice for her.

8:00pm The doctor comes and checks her over. We do a Malaria test, which takes a while. We then realise that the test is void, however she seemed to be doing better so we let her sleep and would try a test tomorrow morning if need be.

9pm I take her home, which meant another walk through the river and mud to her house. I have anti-vomit meds for her so I show our wonderful Mozambican worker, Ana how to give. I then go home, tidy up the bed we made and rest. J

This is generally a normal day. Nothing usually goes to how I have planned, but I wouldn’t have it any other way! I am coming back to England in a few weeks and staying away from Pemba until May. I feel God telling me that this is a time of training. I will be contacting some charities that work on the street with prostitutes and hopefully volunteer with them. I hope to also go to Mississippi to volunteer with ‘We will go ministries’. Please pray for me during this season that I hear from the Lord clearly for new strategies as to how to work with the ladies.

I look forward to seeing most of you in England. Please do let me know if you have any prayer requests.

Lots of love and prayers,

Ruth