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For any of you old timers who might know some of my older boys who have come and gone, here is a little up date on a few of them.
Carlito is now married and his wife had a baby just in the last few days. His wife Anna just had their first a little girl the we don't know her name yet. I don't know exactly what happened but she did have a difficult delivery I think it was a C section they don't give out details here. Carlito works at a radiator company but wants to get a teaching certificate and be a teacher. He plans on leaving his present job and going to school. The owner of the company is a Zimbabwean many of the Mozambicans are being laid off and the Zimbos coming in since many of the companies that are here were originally in Zimbabwe. With the crash of Zimbabwe the main base is now here in Mozambique and bringing in all there workers that were in their Zim based companies.
Fernando as well is married and his wife Anna is not too far off from her second baby. The first is a little girl Fieza is 3 years old. Fernando works at a company called Tendas d Mozambique. He still does batiks and tie die stuff on the side and has done curtains and the like for us. His company is doing different awnings for us as well.
Fernando's brother Daniel,Mawane, Vertish, which ever name you may know him by works as a guard in a company that provides guards to different companies.
Guida their sister and her husband, Paulo are still here in Beira. Paulo works with us from time to time. He unfortunately lost one finger in a saw. He was working during lunch so since most people were not around we don't know exactly what happened. but he does seem to be healing well.
Lino who has been having his mostly downs is now on a Discipleship Training Course with Ywam it a city up north. It is 6 months of intensive teaching and working. We really hope this works out for him, he was really at the bottom of the barrel, no he was living under the barrel. He even came a match strike close (literally) from being lynched. the petrol had been poured on him after he was beaten senseless. some one just stepped up and said 'no don't burn him' Burning thieves alive is becoming common now. we are hoping that was a turning point for him.
Manuel who most of you know as 'mosquito' is married and has his first child Victor. His wife Fatima is from across the river from Beira. He was working with Food for the Hungry up north doing local medicine and sanitation courses. His contract was for only 6 months and he is waiting to see what he is going to do now. In the mean time he is working with us.
Innocence is in Zimbabwe last I heard doing a course there. He was working with Sena Sugar up north he has a wife and child but I have not met them as of yet.
Jeff or Armandinho is working selling things like clothes or jewelry or what ever sells, he still lives not too far from here with his mom.
That is just a quick update on the old boys, now men, that I see on a more regular basis
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| Posted by John Wickes at | | | |
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Dave and Jo were planning on going back to the UK for Jo to have their baby due
at the beginning of the new year. Jo was going to go first at about 30
weeks with Dave to tail behind about a month later. Jo was beginning to
be unsure about the doctors counsel here and even how far along they said she
was. She decided to go to SA to have a
check up there before she went on to England. Dave was to go with her to
attend to Grace and help out thinking he would come back to Kedesh and return
to England the following month. The situation went down hill quickly and
they decided on a Sunday afternoon to leave Kedesh the next day and go to
Jo’burg hospital. That same Monday night Jo had the baby premature in SA
to everyone’s surprise. Ezra was born into the world having problems
breathing. Due to his situation Dave Jo and Grace had to remain in SA for
2 months while he received intensive care and was able to fly on to
England. Living only day to day not
know what was going to happen when, was a tense couple of months. At times they were not even sure if he would
make it or if he did, if he could have a normal life. One evening after
his first time out of the hospital they had to give him CRP to resuscitate him
then rushed him back to the hospital. The question, if the Wests were
ever going to be able to return to Kedesh at all, due to his potential health
problems had to be asked as well.
Now nearly 6 months on Ezra is doing well passing all development markers with
flying colors. The Wests have been given the green light to come back to
Kedesh again by family church and doctors. We look forward to having them
back here with our newest boy and little brother. For the time being it
is just a question of when. |
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| Posted by John Wickes at | | | |
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It has been some time since I have posted a blog
First there were site problems
Then there were computer problems
Then there was soft ware problems
Those all got resolved…
But then- to dumb to know the difference problems
I’m a bit smarter now and so we are back at blogging.
Rather then putting all the back log of blogs that I have
all at once, I will post them over a couple of weeks. The ones that are ‘continuing sagas’ have been updated.
Thank you for your patience
John
Written beginning of Dec. 07
I thought I would give you a shortie to give you and idea of
the type challenges we come up against…
We wanted to put the roof on our house we bought the tin for
the roof but that store that sells the roofing does not sell the roofing screws
to put them up. I run through Beira and
can come up with not even a quarter of what I need. These are screws of two sizes 1” 25mm and 3” 75mm or at least
something close to that and have a metal washer with a rubber washer. The good news is I found those. The bad news
is that they all come from South Africa and South Africa is going on it’s
yearly month vacation. I will not be
able to get any screws to put the roof on my house for 5-6 weeks (shipping time
as well). I have to sit and wait for
over a month to put a roof on my house because SA is on vacation… I put up what
I can and the rest of the house is exposed.
As most of you heard we have been getting major rains this
year.
I just needed a couple hundred screws.
They are in another country
That’s on vacation.
Great.
Wet.
That’s Africa.
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| Posted by John Wickes at | | | |
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We here at Kedesh are giving a loonngg over due update. So firstly an apology for that fact. But here it is.
We had a lot of visitors this year. Over the Northern hemisphere’s summer we had people coming and going nearly constantly this year. In addition to the normal teams and visitors Dave and Jo’s parents came out an spent time getting to know Kedesh and all the goings on here. It was excellent for me (john) to get to know them after so many years. Dave and I actually go back 10+ years. That is when Dave first came out. So to meet their makers (Dave and Jo’s) was good for me, and hopefully them as well.
We had some old timers come back as well and some new timers that plan on coming back.
Heather Prichard who came originally in ‘99 came for a visit TWICE these last few months. Her first visit this summer she came with a Zimbo friend of hers Hulani. They were taking a break from where they work in Zim. The second time she came with some friends of hers from England, Heathers native land. She has decided to join us more permanently after her brothers wedding in the spring.
Heather, is a Occupational Therapist and plans to help and refine our working with the boys in preparing for life. She says she has psychological training as well and will be looking for cracks in the staff…. Anyone who knows us knows that does not require training. But we’ll humor her.
It will be nice to have another female on hand crashing ‘the boys’ party. We resist-- but love it. Jo I’m sure will relish having another female in this ‘X’ waste land. We had planted many paw-paw (papaya) trees in hopes of giving Jo other females to bond with (Papaya trees unlike most other tress are male and female) but Heather will probably work out better, she can go for walks with Jo!!! That probably wasn’t a very politically correct joke towards papaya trees, exposing their weaknesses publicly like that. I apologize.
Dave Jo and Grace had to leave us a bit unexpectedly last month. Jo, who has been growing in stature, mainly because she was pregnant, was preparing to go back to England to give birth when some complications came up. They all flew to SA to get a second opinion from the doctors there. The ones here weren’t filling them with confidence. The next day, at 30 weeks, Jo under went an emergency C section and little 1.5 kg Ezra came into the world!!! Welcome Ezra!!! He has had some complications but appears to be responding well growing quickly we look forward to having another Y around. GO Y’s!!!!
The down side of this birth in SA is that I thought I had Dave around till Dec but under the obvious circumstances he is in SA with Jo Grace and Ezra and they won’t be able to travel for some time now. When Ezra does get big enough they plan on going to England and showing him off. After that the plan is to return to Kedesh. All these dates and plans are all dependant on Ezra, and he hasn’t told us just yet…
As far as building is concerned the house is coming along nicely. We have bought the wood flooring and it is about 1/3 done. The trusses are about ¾ done. The boys have been helping in all this and really enjoying watching the house go up at their hands. They have also been putting on the finish layer of cement that gives the walls a nice smooth finish. Now, went I walk back and forth on our property the house is gaining a more finished ‘house’ look to it rather then a ‘what‘s that gonna be’ look. It is still a ways off but I hope to be moving into it with in a month just to be a guard that things we are putting in aren’t stolen at night. The boys have started sleeping over there on a recreational basis.
We have a new couple coming next week. Tyler and Danii Kutscheid from the states. They are newly weds who will be here for about 5 months. Danii, an artist, plans on painting murals all over Kedesh and we will start with the boys room. So Kedesh will start looking entirely different and colorful starting in a couple of weeks. Good bye cement gray!!! Tyler will be helping us on the agri side. I’m really excited to have them!
Joao Simao has been a great help with us in the years here and his plans have always been to move on to bigger and better things which has manifest itself in a Ywam base in SA. He will be a staff member there, as well as continuing his education. Joao has been a huge help while been here the last couple of years. He has been a great example and encouragement to the boys being their dorm father. He as well has been doing a lot of carpentry work for us as well. The most obvious of all he built three picnic tables for out door eating, which has been a big hit. We really needed the space as well. We wish the best for him and are sad to see him go, but are proud to send him off as such a great person.
The boys continue to be such excellent kids. They forever impress me and others who come through. There is just an excellent attitude, willingness, and contentment with them. I would love to Thank our God, YHVH for that work. I am grateful utmost for His work that is the main driving force, reason for being.
Our place has become something of a hang out as well now. So even though we have only 19 boys there are usually something to the effect of 30 that are here eating, sleeping, playing, working, building.
As far as the obstacle course is concerned we just received a donation from a local trucking company, J & J, of among other things all the old tie down straps from their trucks, hundreds of them of all sizes. So we have completed our net climbing wall, which is a big hit with the boys. They are constantly over there going up and down it. I have seen a hammock go up and ‘hand rails’ for our ascending descending balance beam, swings and climbing ropes are everywhere. Most of the boys have made them selves belts and head bands making Kedesh look like something of a Karate camp. We will also be making lawn chairs out of them. Thanks J&J!
We have had a few good rains and it looked like the rainy season was off to a good start. But now it hasn’t rained for a couple of weeks and I’m wondering again what kind of a year this will be. Since Kedesh runs on our own well this is an important issue for us, keep it in your prayers.
We are extremely blessed and have a wonderful life here. I frequently look around and just laugh at all the good things. Goats chickens fish all doing well, I do live a bless life. Thank you all for helping and investing in it, may you share in the joy as well. So in this time of the American Thanks Giving I give thanks to all of you joined with us. And mostly to our King of the Universe, Creator of the World and of Kedesh…
Thank you, we are grateful.
John |
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| Posted by John Wickes at | | | |
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One
of the things I used to love about winter was Friday nights – well
actually, I used to love them in summer as well. After a week at
work, we'd eat dinner, settle down on the sofa with a cup of cocoa
(or maybe something a little stronger), pull a blanket over our knees
and put on the DVD we'd rented from Blockbuster. So last night we
settled down on our (green, plastic, garden) chairs, pulled a blanket
over our knees and put on a favourite DVD.
“Winter
in Mozambique!”, I hear you cry, “Come on!” Well this year has
been a particularly cold one. Last night it was 17 degrees outside –
not exactly scarf and gloves weather granted - but 17 degrees outside
equals 17 degrees inside when your house is made of bamboo and mud
with no glass in the windows. It often gets a fair bit colder at
night and reached 10 one morning – the coldest John has ever known
it in 14 years.
I
am grateful for my hoodie and fleece top which I've worn much more
than I expected. I'm even more thankful for our thermostat
controlled waterbed, now with the added luxury of a duvet which my
parents left. We have the most wonderfully inappropriate bed for our
context – but I'm thankful for now.
Most
people in the west are reasonably prepared for winter – they have
appropriate clothing – and although it gets so much colder than
here, people can dress up accordingly for the outdoors. When you get
back inside you can change your clothes, put them in the drier and
put the kettle on. What temperature is your thermostat set at in the
winter?
Not
only is it cold at the moment – and most people are spectacularly
under resourced – but it is also unseasonably wet. With no drier
and no warm change of clothes, many will get very cold. One of our
widows brought us some tangerines the other day. I was out planting
grass (best done in the rain) as I met her. I noticed she was
wearing a thin blouse and had an old piece of bin plastic loosely
tied round her shoulders. I was wearing a new Peter Storm waterproof
which some visitors had left me as a “second” coat. Doesn't
Jesus say something about having two coats...?
It
seems that Mozambique constantly throws the unexpected at you. I
hadn't expected this kind of a winter in tropical, malaria-rife
Beira, people would be living with inside winter temperatures that
closely parallel western winters. So spare a prayer for the poor of
Mozambique at the moment. The “frosty winds” may not be blowing,
but for many it is indeed a “bleak mid-winter”. Dave West
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I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome David, Tito, and
Nelson. They are brothers whose grand mother can't take care of them
any more. Their home was literally a few pieces of bamboo with burlap
sack as the roofing. We have brought the three boys into our home and
are building a house for the grand ma.
When they first came they all appeared to be nearly the same
age 10 to 12, I asked who was oldest and who was youngest, then I
asked the youngest how old he was, he said '12' that was older than I
would have guessed but OK. Then I asked the next in line he said 10,
I sensed a problem. I then asked the oldest how old he was he said 6.
Hmmmm. I asked him how he could be 6 and the oldest and he just
scowled at me as if I were making fun of him. OK on to another
subject… I explained to them how Kedesh works and what is expected of
them. They understand Portuguese and responded well so they are smart
enough boys. I would say their linguistic skills are about the best
of new comers. It is common to have a new kid that doesn't speak any
Portuguese and for the first season I have to have a translator for
him. They haven't had any schooling so don't read or write.
Stan is another new boy we have, he is the grand son of one of
our widows. The first house we built for a widow was for his grand
ma. We have been supporting them for several years now with food,
clothing and school fees. Stan is a very well behaved boy, very happy
and surprisingly honest. Since his family was already being assisted
by Kedesh, he was already familiar with us and slipped right in. The
other three brothers though weren't that easy, they were not sure what
to make of this hairy white guy.
We also had one other new boy Mark, he's 53 and from the
States. He came to join us for a month helping us with his carpentry
skills. He was very helpful in doing some building work for us: vents
in our tin roof, ladder, stove top… But I have to say that probably
the highlight for Mark and the boys was making their own kites. The
boys make their kites from a time age old tradition, out of plastic
bags from the store, twigs from a tree and string from the fibers of
plastic 'burlap' bags that we get rice, flour and beans in. On
average they are the size of an A4 piece of paper. Mark decided to
make his own and the first couple did not, shall we say… fly. Not to
be out done by 8 year olds, he did it the American way… no he didn't
go to the store and buy one, the other American way. He made a 6 foot
one! Armed with a retractable knife, off cuts of wood, sheet plastic,
and hemp string the monster demon came forth!!! Now the boys were
laughing a different tune at this one. Mark climbed to the second
tier of the water tower (about 5 meters, 15 ft) and hung on for dear
life, his black demon seeking to pull free of it's bondage wanting to
possess the nearest tree. Needless to say this caused a few people to
stop on the road to wonder who was going to cast who where. After a
while the wind died and the black demon sunk in defeat and Mark
climbed down from his cement tower beaming, hero to the boys. The
demon sits in a corner of our dinning room waiting for the next person
daring to take him on the wings of the wind. But no takers as of yet,
this one goes out only with strength and courage.
For the meek of heart, water coloring became a past time as well and
we discovered some unknown artists in the house. Our entire house
began to look like someone's refrigerator front. The boys proudly
hung their designs of flags cars and houses everywhere. Mark coached
and praised them in their work as if they spoke English and they
smiled and were proud of their work brought and hung by the master as
if they understood English. Art, and kites, you don't need language
just the supplies, and a retractable knife. |
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| Posted by John Wickes at | | | |
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Once again we have been robbed. The nature of the robbery indicates that it was most certainly the same persons. What they took this time monetarily was really very little, if anything the robbery seemed to be more to aggravate more then anything. What was taken was my broken bathroom mirror (about the size of a small book) my shampoo, shower curtian, the top half of our water filter (what does someone do with HALF a water filter? Home made at that?) and 4 chairs one of which was broken, our clock which was one of a kind was taken as well. I really liked that clock, Dave hated it. It’s ‘chime’ would play very electronic versions of Auld Lang Syne, oh Susanna and other classics The song was always different and it’s repertoire never ceased to amaze me. Depending on how strong the battery was dictated, cantor and tempo. The thing I liked about it best it did not chime the right time. You never knew how many chimes you would get at for instance 1 pm, it could be 12 or maybe just 3, it always changed but nearly never right! I think in the years we had that clock I heard it chime right just a hand full of times. The old saying a broken clock is right twice a day was not correct in this case. When they stole the clock they hand to pass a heavy duty sprayer that you put on your back, workers yesterday left out hammers… and then reach over a clothesline that had a jacket, sheets, shirts and other clothes on it. (We have an indoor line it has been raining so much) The thing that really upset me was my coffee percolator was stolen. There was a huge aluminum kettle left out a 15 gallon like thing, they took my coffee pot and not that kettle, you can’t buy coffee percolators here!!!! You can get the drip type with the glass decanter but who wants a glass cafetiere in a house with 20 boys? There is no such thing as ‘unbreakable’ ‘life time guarantee’. I guess the good news is this is my second chance to work at blessing those who do evil to you, I failed the first test, my mind looked like something out of a Jackie Chan movie, but I spoke with an American accent. |
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| Posted by John Wickes at | | | |
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The police went down screaming and moaning even begging for a Fanta to drink, accusing us of deceiving them, even though they have 2 receipts a sworn document from me and the shop owner testifying that we bought the cement there. But they have signed papers to let the cement go and Joao does not have to go to jail.
In all this we had informed them that our house had been robbed and their response was when the thief shows up bring him by.
It is all very sad that in all this we are happy that Joao is not in jail and in the light of everything 10 bags of cement is really nothing. But I remain sad that the police are so corrupt that they are angry that we didn’t bribe and that there may be a grudge match on. When darkness has so over come that they resent and fail to understand why others don’t function on their same level. That they see the function of their job is to extort money.
We have one of my older boys from days gone by who wants to be a police and change things… he can’t get in to police school because he won’t bribe his way in. Things are done badly on such a normal basis that it IS normal and not seen as bad as all, but how the system works.
I always try and reflect on things, I ask myself how does my system work? Am I blind to my own faults and systems, are they normal? Am I just an old dog trying to learn new tricks as well? Is there light shining at me from some direction that I may just find annoying and be completely baffled at it, I just find it confusing? Lord have mercy on us all, open my eyes that I may truly see. I want the light of life. |
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| Posted by John Wickes at | | | |
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Joao Simao just got back from the police and they have not accepted the new receipt, he is to report to prison tomorrow.
We are looking for ways to fight this Gango and now Pastor Bonga are going to the police station. We are not expecting much though, today is a holiday ‘Day of the Woman’ the police chief of that station is a lady and she has taken the day off. |
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| Posted by John Wickes at | | | |
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“First, take the plank out of your own eye and then you will
see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Matt 7:5
All the events of the last few days (and it isn’t all over
yet – particularly for Joao Simao) have caused me to reflect a lot on the
Wests’ attitude towards the Global South/Developing World/Two thirds
world/Third World (choose your preferred terminology.)
In the wake of Jubilee 2000 and the Drop the Debt campaign,
a lot has been done by Western countries to remove some of the injustices which
we put upon developing countries which exacerbate poverty. Admittedly, there is still a long way to go
in areas such as trade, for example, but I want to ask a question I have been
thinking about increasingly for the last few years, but which events of the
past months and now the last few days has intensified.
What is the point of removing debt, of initiating fairer
trade laws, of giving “better” aid, if a country’s infrastructure is so corrupt
and thieving, that money simply leaches away once inside the system?
It may well be the right thing to do, it may well expunge
our colonial (or even post-colonial consciences), but are we simply interested
in throwing a few more pounds or dollars in Africa’s direction, simply
“improving” peoples standards of living, or do we genuinely want to see lasting
change in terms of attitudes as well?
There may well be plenty going on at top governmental levels
to increase accountability, but within the system here, immigration officials,
police, traders, market stall holders, school teachers, football tournament
officials etc. are sometimes corrupt to the core. Go to the local market and you will find an
array of Western T-Shirts, shorts, trousers and shoes – all donated to aid
organizations – all sold onto the black market.
Finish with border line grades at school and your teacher may well ask
for money in order to pass you. (One of
our ex-lads was told in order for him to pass, he had to find girls for the
teacher to sleep with.) Enroll for
police or teacher training and you will be snubbed unless you pay a handful of
“extra” payments on top of your fees.
Try to recover your stolen goods and the police will not release them
unless you pay them for their trouble. Take
your kids to a local football tournament and you will be told you cannot play
your best two players because they are “too old” – even when you hold their ID
cards in front of the guy’s nose so that he can read they are young
enough. Add into this, that said
official had been trying to scout them for his team 2 days earlier, and the
situation becomes even murkier. Do you
get my point?
I understand that I am simplifying things here and can hear
some protests already. Police need to
supplement their wages in order to live.
Well they already earn above the minimum wage here – and in a country
where unemployment is anywhere between 20-50% they have a better standard of
living than most. It may be that
culturally it is expected that bribery is just part of the economic
system. Ok, but this brings me back to
my question. Every culture has good,
neutral and bad aspects to it. It isn’t
our job to destroy cultures in my opinion, but having looked at our own foreign
policies (plank in our own eye) shouldn’t our responsibility then lie in
removing, or helping to remove, the speck from our brother’s eye (e.g. in this
case corruption)?
In 2005 the G8 was held at Edinburgh
and along with hundreds of thousands of others I marched in protest against
unfair trade laws etc. I want an end to
poverty in Africa.
However, I remember feeling a pang of unease at the time, that the three
pronged attack of more and better aid, fair trade and an end to corruption, had
been reduced to better aid and fair trade by the marchers.
The emphasis of the West, must include a real push for anti
corruption if Africa is not to be any poorer 20 years on
from the second Live8. Otherwise, more
money may well be entering a country, its GNP and rate of economic growth may
be increasing, but all that is happening is that those with any power become
richer, whilst the poor become poorer.
I have a Liberian friend who studied for a Development
Masters in Manchester. He was convinced that the main factor that
kept Africa in poverty wasn’t the colonial legacy, or
any of the post colonial economic factors but was corruption within. Yes the other factors were important, but
corruption was the crux of the problem.
We have spent a fair deal of time removing the plank in our
own eye – (and still have splinters to go) but please, we must start focusing
on the speck of corruption here if we really want to see long lasting change in
all aspects of life. Dave
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