Tons

We have been without phone and Internet service for the last six days in Quelimane. After being promised service without result from the national phone company, I finally, with poorly disguised irritation, arrived at the provincial headquarters office of the company this morning to talk to the president. We had someone out to fix the line within a half hour and it took less than 5 minutes to find the break in the line.

We have had a wonderful group of young missionaries with us for the last several months. Four of them were transferred this week. Before leaving they asked to escape the city on Pday to get a glimpse of more rural and pastoral Mozambican life. They looked for an hour for this beautiful spot to record their first album--the video of which is shown below.  Please note the perfectly matched and painstakingly-coordinated outfits. The whole presentation brings the Mormon Tabernacle Choir to mind.

Other sights along the way of our little rural excursion through the back roads outside of town is this colorful picture of cut grass being carried home--perhaps to feed the goats or kids.  And below, we came across this small herd of buffalo cooling themselves in a pond.  I tried approaching but they were definitely uncomfortable with my presence and I bid a hasty retreat

Saturday last we had the largest number of people baptized together in Quelimane's brief history.  These were two fine families plus Cornelio, a single man who has been preparing himself for this day for many months.  This was especially good to for the Elders who love these people see them get baptized before they were sent off to other assignments.



This is the family of JoJo and Sonia and thier five children (and a neighbor.  Debbie and I both commented that we have never seen a better behaved group of children in Mozambique.  Today they all sat quietly for a nearly hour-long lesson without complaining.  We are impressed with this family who were referred to us by their friends Julio and Paula--and, according to them, have long awaited the gospel message.  Debbie and I had decided to stop teaching new investigators and just concentrate on church and member work until we go home soon.  But we just didn't want to give up the chance to teach these good people.

This is George, a great young man in the church here in Quelimane--and good looking too.  That in itself doesn't necessarily get someone blog coverage.  But George is blessed with perhaps the largest mouth I have ever seen on a human and thought it worthy of sharing.

Our friend and convert, Bendita, was bitten by a poisonous snake as she worked her rice fields this last week.  She made it to the hospital in time to get treatment and is now on the mend without long term damage--but there are many around here not so lucky and missing limbs from snakebites.