Now and Then....

We are at the end of the dry season here in Mozambique. We are blowing dust off our computer as we type. We are having to wipe our dining room table off every hour or the kids write their names in the dust. We are grinding our teeth on dust and our snot is brown all the time. If the kids get water splashed on their face, it streaks brown as the water runs down their faces. We are so ready for the rain! Of course then we deal with mud, but I will take mud anyday over the dust. At least mud stays on the ground(well most of the time), but the dust is everywhere. There are benefits of the dry season however. One of them being that the people are around. Normally in the rainy season the Mozambiquians spend the majority of their time in their fields, preparing, planting, taking care of, and then harvesting their crops. The dry season people are enjoying the fruits of their labor and are home, so ministry is most effective during this time. The rainy season also makes travel almost impossible. Most of the roads to the villages are all dirt and with the rain, they are almost impossible to pass. The rivers also flood and cover the bridges. So we are thankful for the dry season and what we are able to do and relationships we are able build during this time, but we are also thankful for the rain and the relief it brings. Without the rain, the people here would not survive. Rain allows their crops to grow and produces the food. Rain brings cooler weather, as right now is the hottest part of our year. Rain makes everything green again and stomps that awful dust deep into the ground!

The following pictures are an example of the dry season vs the rainy season. These pictures are of the same hill in Chiconono.

This picture was taken in August of this year.

This one was taken in February of this year.