Sitting, Waiting, Wishing...

I love that Jack Johnson song.. that is me right now, I'm sitting, waiting, wishing in the airport waiting for my London flight.

Anyway, greetings from the first class lounge in Johannesburg, South Africa! Kailey's flying first class with Air France and got me in here too...

Yesterday was good, we tied up some loose ends in Maputo and went down to the Feira to buy some last minute things. Then we packed cleaned and woke up early to get ready for our flights first to SA then to London. We were all ready to go and waiting for our cab, and a half hour goes by without him arriving to take us to the airport. So after waiting a bit longer we decided to hire a random car.

We get an old Datsun pick-up to take us (Kailey and me) to the airport and I tell him to take the fastest route possible. Hahaha...so we are going on these tiny dirt roads through these little canico (reed huts) homes neighborhoods, Kailey is in the back with our backpacks and I am sitting shotgun to talk it up with our driver and make sure he really is taking us to the airport. We were quite a sight! When we got to the airport, we were able to check in and get our bags check without having to pay any fees, which was great! Our flight arrived in South Africa without any problems and I have been here since noon, and my flight leaves around midnight. But I have been window shopping, had something to eat, and now we are living the high life in the lounge.

But enough about that...I wanted to write some memorable moments from Mozambique:

Getting a ride home from work in a Semi truck
Meeting Alice and going to her church
Killing cockroaches with spoons in our kitchen
Nights at Changalane and the misty early mornings
The time our tire blew out on the way to Beira
Seeing the Red Tide of the Indian Ocean
Giving a talk about education at the youth fireside
Going on splits with the missionaries in Matola
Cooking tacos in our apartment listening to music LOUD
Awkward dance competitions in the living room
Teaching a music appreciation class with just a drum and a guitar
Staying overnight in a random hut on the coast of Beira
Cougar Talk with Kailey and Christina
Going to take pictures with Mike at sunrise
Teaching my culture class students how to do a water balloon toss
Eating an amazing Indian dinner on the coast in Beira
Watching a garage band practice of a friend in T3
Waking up each morning to someone yelling about their coconuts or the sound of a rooster
Meeting Elder and Sister Nelson and getting to talk to them a bit.
Watching one of our econ class students get baptized.
Praying late one night to see Isaura, and seeing her the very next day.
Endless inside jokes between the fearsome foursome and other members of the group.

As you can see I had some memorable experiences in Mozambique. The funny thing is that I really hadn't been planning on coming back so soon, but now I can't imagine it any other way. I have grown to love Mozambique, the people, the culture and everything about it. I feel like this experience has been 100% different than last year's, and I am glad I have had both trips to take in two very different sides to what Mozambique has to offer. I am grateful to the Kennedy Center and to my boss for pulling some strings to get me here. I am thankful to my parents who raised me to appreciate other cultures and to try walking in other peoples shoes for a while. I am thankful to my Heavenly Father, this experience has been a strength to my testimony. I have enjoyed seeing the church growing here, helping the missionaries, and serving in the church. I saw how much God loves each of his children-whether they are living in utter poverty or in the nice beach homes he loves them all. I am thankful for everything I have learned on this trip, and I hope to someday come back to Mozambique.

Bayete Mocambique!