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What It’s Like

A Jon Post

I asked Javan today what he thinks of our lives here in Maputo. I am always little anxious to hear thoughts and get reactions to how my wife and I live our lives. Maybe there’s something in me looking for the validation that we’re doing something right. Maybe there’s something in me looking for a fellow American to tell me that life is pretty challenging here and all the effort I put into just living is worth it.

Maybe it’s all a reflection in my heart of a deeper desire.

Maybe… I just want to rest a weary head on my Father’s shoulder and here a soft “Well done, good and faithful servant. Come and share your Master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:23). I really, really want to share my Master’s happiness.

Javan got the opportunity to share from the Bible at a men’s Bible study that I lead on a weekly basis at the hospital with some men who live there as patients. He spoke of perfect and complete joy. I think that scene in Matthew, where the Master says “Well done, come and share in my happiness” is one that describes what I think perfect and complete joy is.

Maybe that’s what it’s like.

I see so much that is broken and incomplete all around me. I see a broken joy in the patient Jonathan at the hospital (he and I smiled and spoke at length at how happy we were to share a name), whose tumor above his right shoulder looms over him like a death sentence. I see incomplete joy in David, a soft-spoken man whose chemo-therapy treatments sap every bit of strength he has, to where his shell of a body simply breathes and waits for it to pass.

Maybe Jonathan, David and countless others here and scattered throughout the world are all just waiting for that moment.

We’re waiting for our Master to invite us to share in His happiness.

Maybe that’s what it’s like.

So Javan, try as he might to share what he sees in our lives here in Maputo, didn’t fulfill that longing in me. That longing that I have for the Master to smile… look into my eyes and say… “Well done. Come and share my happiness!”

Perfect… Complete… Joy

I think that’s what it’s like.

December 4, 2010
Hospital Ministry, Mozambique, Personal
7 comments

Javan’s Visit thus Far

A Layne Post

Javan arrived well on Sunday, and we excitedly welcomed him into our home. With him came some extremely hot days; lucky Javan!

Monday we introduced Javan to our friends in Oncology; however, the same day we discovered our dear little friend Marcelino had taken a turn for the worse. (read his story here) Sometimes these things come so suddenly; they cannot be planned. Our usual cheerful greetings were replaced with tears and fervent prayers. Tuesday our time in Dermatology was cut short, wanting to get back to Marcelino’s side.

Javan and his easy personality captured the attention of many of the other children in the Oncology ward, and as Jon and I focused on Marcelino, the kiddos were showing Javan their beds and searching for mangoes to give him as presents.

After our visit on Tuesday, Javan began to have some pain in his chest. It seemed like a familiar pain he has had before, but while his usual pain lasts only for a few minutes, this pain continued. He rested as well as he could, with little improvement. It was difficult to distinguished between jet lag and unusual tiredness. Thanksgiving came and Javan pushed through like a champ; however, he ended his holiday feeling pretty rotten.

On Friday morning Javan actually woke up feeling better, and thought he was on the up-swing. Thirty minutes later, he had developed a fever and nausea. We decided it was time to go to the clinic to check things out. Praise the Lord we did, because after some blood tests and x-rays, it was determined that Javan had acute pneumonia and needed to be admitted to the hospital.

After some phone calls, we were able to rest assured that Javan’s short term international insurance would cover the cost, and we were able to get Javan settled into a comfy room. Boy was that a good $30 spent on the insurance!

His experience at the hospital was overall a good one. The language proved to be a bit of a barrier with the nurses, but thankfully his doctor spoke decent English. Jon and I tried to stick around as much as possible to help in that department. His IVs gave a bit of trouble, forcing Javan to be poked frequently, which is always unpleasant.

As of today, Monday, Javan’s follow-up blood work and x-rays looked so good and showed Javan was responding so quickly to the IV antibiotics that the doctor said Javan could go ‘home’/our house and continue on oral antibiotics for 7 days. His cough continues, but that can linger awhile. It could be a few weeks until he is back to normal. We’ll return for a final appointment with the doctor Friday, and then Javan can head back to the States on Monday, one week later than planned.

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:31

Perhaps we’ll look back on this time and understand what the Lord’s purpose was. For now, Jon and I are enjoying our extra time with a special friend.

Here are some photos thus far:

Javan and Alexandra


Javan and new buddies

Turkey Prep

Proud Cooks

The Thanksgiving Group!

Bring admitted

Playing games and Passing time

November 29, 2010
Personal
4 comments

How Fast it Changes

A Jon Post

Javan came in last night. What a joy and a privilege to have our good friend and brother join us here, be a part of our ministry, see our lives and share our Thanksgiving day this week. I went to the airport last night to pick him up. I was pretty giddy with anticipation. He is our first visitor and has been my best friend for many years. I really cannot express how much joy I had in my heart last night as I anticipated Javan joining me in my life, even for just the few days he’s here.

We took him to the Oncology ward with us today. Smiles, hugs, children and friends running around, eager to meet our good friend and try out any English phrase they may know.

And then it all changed.

Marcelino… dear, precious, 13-year-old Marcelino… is dying.

Last Friday, he was walking around, laughing, enjoying a new ultrasound image of Anaya, and all around getting better. Today was much different. Today he lay in a dirty hospital bed, deliriously moaning and holding the side of his head in tremendous pain. Today he could not muster the strength to get out of bed to go to the bathroom. Today… Marcelino’s weary body teeters upon the cusp of eternity. The pain in his body is the last thread that holds him to it.

This morning, I laughed, I praised God, I thanked Him for His blessings in my life.

This afternoon, I cried, I praised God, I thanked Him for Marcelino… and asked Him to take my friend quickly.

How fast it changes here. How quickly the joy of life is tempered by the sting and victory of the grave.

How fast it changes.

November 22, 2010
Hospital Ministry
6 comments

Our first visitor! (and other tid bits)

Isn't it cozy?

A Layne Post
We are getting ready for our first visitor!

One week from today, Javan Mesnard, good friend to Jon and member of Voices of the World is coming to spend a week, including Thanksgiving with us, and we could not be more excited! How nice to have a ‘touch of home’ for the holiday. The patients in Oncology are eager to meet him as well… our first visitor!
In preparation we’ve gotten our guest room ready, so go ahead, contact us about when you’d like to come visit!

This year will be our very first Thanksgiving where we get to be the hosts. How fun! Jon is happy to have Javan to assist with his turkey preparation and baking. He will be preparing a bacon wrapped turkey = Yum! My list for cooking/baking is quite long, and I plan to do as much in advance as possible. Our guests, besides Jon and I, will include 4 Americans, 3 Portuguese, 1 Brazilian, 1 South African, and potentially 2 Mozambicans. We’ll update afterward to let you know how it all goes down. =)

25wks

In other news, Miss Anaya is growing quickly and healthily. We have an appointment this week, which I love! Since we get ultrasounds at each appointment, I am always anxious to see my baby girl. I am feeling pretty good these days, though the heat seems to make me a bit more tired. Standing up and looking down, my toes have disappeared. =/

I have already had one Skype baby shower from our Arizona friends, complete with games, gifts, laughter, tears, and prayer. What a blessing that was for me. Our Corpus friends are doing something for me, but I cannot know yet… only that something is happening. AND my church here is having a tea/shower for me and my friend Bibiana, who is due the same week as me, early in December. I really feel overwhelmed with love for our family.

Silly Dad

As for our other ‘baby’, Gasher is growing and becoming a regular member of the family. It is already a little hard to imagine life without him… even if that image seems easier. =) We’ve settled into a nice routine with him, and if we can get him out for a nice walk/run in the morning, he tends to be quite pleasant. The digging, eating my welcome mat, shaking his messy jowls all over, stinky toots, etc. just come with package. Ha!

The Lord is good.

These moments of joy, life, and happiness are such an encouragement to me. Anaya kicking in my belly, while I am visiting at the hospital. Laughing and dancing in the kitchen with my husband, while the dogs barks in confusion of the ruckus. Phone conversations with my family. An upcoming visit from a friend.

Thank you Lord.

November 14, 2010
Around the house, Mozambique, Personal
6 comments

One Year Ago Today

A Jon Post

One year in Africa. A month in Botswana, two months in Mozambique, two months in Angola, one month in Namibia and finally, 6 more months in Mozambique. Twelve months in Africa.
And today, one year in, a painful reminder of the reason we are here.
Today, Oombi died. The three-year-old son of my good friend Albano entered the hospital 10 months ago with a cancerous tumor in his eye. Albano brought his son to the Maputo Central Hospital and lived with him, slept in the same bed, spent every long day caring for his son and waiting to take him home. He goes home on Wednesday in a casket.
We knew and loved Oombi. We visited him and his father. Over the last 6 months I’ve sat countless times with Albano, praying over his sick boy, waiting on the hand of our Lord. I’ve studied the Bible with Albano while he held his tired son in his lap. And I’ve smiled and held Oombi as he toddled over to me with a shy smile.
This is our ministry.
One year in.
We have a vision. It’s not huge for now. It’s not to reach hundreds at a time. It’s to see the one. To love the one. To bring a smile to the one.
One at a time.
Our vision is to use the house the Lord has blessed us with as a place of hope. A place of love.
We’ll call it Casa Ahava. Casa simply means house or home in Portuguese and Ahava is a Hebrew word for love. It’s used in the Song of Solomon 8:7 when speaking of a love that cannot be washed away or quenched by a torrent of water. A love that sees all the depth of suffering and pain that will come as a result of choosing to love and yet chooses anyway. Ahava sees pain and misery and chooses to love.
Casa Ahava will see pain and loneliness and offer hope and rest.
One at a time.
This is our ministry. This is our vision.
November 8, 2010
Hospital Ministry, Mozambique
5 comments
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