September 2005

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This is the first time that our monthly update, 'the Kanes in Mozambique', has come from Mozambique itself. Our last two weeks in Ireland were a mad rush and our first two weeks here haven't been any easier. But we now have the boys settled into a school, we are about to move into our own apartment, and we are at an advanced stage in our search for a car. Furthermore Sharon and I have started meeting daily with our Portuguese language tutor, which after all is our primary reason for being based initially in Maputo. So you could say that we have hit the ground running. We will write more fully in later editions of this newsletter but on this occasion we will let Daniel do the talking for us.

Daniel is our lively eight year old. He found it difficult being uprooted from Zimbabwe and having to make new friends in Ireland. When the time came for us to return to Africa, he was excited at the idea of making a new beginning in Mozambique, but nervous at the thought of having to start over making friends, especially when the local children speak Portuguese. In all our busyness, we have made a real effort to give our children a taste of the familiar. We asked Daniel to keep a diary and the following is an extract from his daily reflections on life here. Hopefully his brutal honesty will provoke much prayer on behalf of all four of our boys.

Daniel's Diary

 

Thurs 18th. It took an awfully long time to get to Mozambique, but we got here. It's rather cold for Maputo today. I really hate writing diaries. We went to a cafe with one of Mum's friends. I had a whole pizza and it was delicious.

Fri 19th. Writing a diary isn't so bad any more. We went for a walk to see a school and Dad went to the bank with Jos. I found some secret places.

Sat 20th. I had a great time with Myles. On the way to his house we looked for differences about the streets in Maputo and the streets in Belfast. Such as, in Belfast there are no fruit trees, no ants, no holes in the pavement and no sewers above ground.

Sun 21st. We went to an English speaking church. There was a Sunday School but nothing worked because the teacher forgot all the equipment she needed. Then Samuel wandered off and I saved him from falling down a ladder.

Mon 22nd. Mum taught me how to tie up my mosquito net. Jos teases Nat loads. I feel like we're not in Africa because there are no good trees to climb.

Wed 24th. Nat got great presents today. Unfortunately Samuel threw his aeroplane in the fishpond. A girl called Kylie came. She's not too bad. Dad lost his cell phone.

Thurs 25th. We helped get the fish out of the pond to clean the water. On Monday we're going to school at CAM (the Christian Academy of Maputo). I can hardly wait.

Fri 26th. I was feeling stressed today until we went to Andrew's house. They had made a den. It was fun in there.

Mon 29th. I went to CAM. Everything was okay except for Music and Portuguese. I know making friends is not hard. I want to go back to Belfast.

Tues 30th. Nat cried at school. The work at CAM is okay but I hate Portuguese. We took ages getting home from school. Samuel is such fun!

We'll let you have contact details as and when they become available. Email is the easiest way to get in touch. You might like to look at posting this newsletter on your church notice board (with or without the cartoon) so that others are able also to pray for us.
 

Please Pray
  • thank God that our flights went smoothly and that we encountered no difficulties with immigration or customs
  • thank God for new friends who have helped us with good advice
  • ask God's blessing upon the Christian guest house that has been our haven for the past two weeks.
  • pray about our need for a vehicle
  • pray that the boys would quickly make friends and come to terms with their new life in Mozambique
  • pray for ability in learning Portuguese
  • don't forget to pray for safety and protection

Grace to you

Gregory and Sharon Kane

________________________

Sharon's 'Joke of the Month'

* Concussion *

One weekend Sally, a nurse, was looking after her six-year-old nephew when he fell off a playground slide and hit his head.

Worried that he might have a concussion, she checked him all night. Every hour, she'd gently shake him and ask, "What's your name?" Soon, he began moaning in protest each time she entered the room.

When Sally went in at 5:00 am, she found something white on his forehead. Leaning close, she saw a crayon-scrawled message taped to his forehead.

It read: "My name is David"