Category: Personal

Our Lives

A (long and maybe boring) Jon Post

Life is hard to understand sometimes. It’s also hard to do sometimes.

Thinking about life with my dog

Gasher agrees "Life is hard but fun"

Layne and I are in Botswana right now as this is posted. We own a vehicle from when we lived in Botswana (for those of you who tracked with us back in November of last year we bought one there to replace a vandalized/ruined one we owned previously) and dearly wish to keep it. I was speaking to Layne about “dream cars” for our current life here in Maputo and, honestly, I wouldn’t pick anything different than the Land Cruiser we own. It’s an amazing vehicle and has taken us across the continent of Africa 3 times and seems ready to do it a hundred more.

Working on my dream car

Well, to keep it here in Mozambique it turns out there are some papers and costs.
We need a “Police Clearance Letter”, essentially saying that we own it free and clear and didn’t steal it from anyone. This letter must come from Botswana and the vehicle must be there in order for it to be issued. Hence, we find ourselves driving 13 hours across the continent (again), simply to pick up a letter.

And we need to come up with some money. We’re not sure how much at this point (we need to get the afore mentioned letter to start the process and find out) but it looks to be anywhere from $1800 – $3500. No… we’re not trying to raise this money here and now on this blog (though we may later, heck… it’s a lot of money), I just mention it because it’s there and it’s on my heart and I like sharing what’s on my heart here with you.

On my heart… I don’t know if I communicate it all that well at times. With a daughter coming and an incredible wife I often find myself a bit preoccupied with thoughts of them and their safety.
Pray with me please. Pray with me that God grants them safety.

I heard a song a couple weeks ago by a desperate husband and father who simply wants to do both of those jobs well. He sings of his wife and children calling out to him and at times I can hear and see the same thing in mine.
Lead me with strong hands.
Stand up when I can’t
Don’t leave me hungry for love…
Show me you’re willing to fight
That I’m still the love of your life

And his/my response is simply to cry out to Christ

My beautiful wife loves me so well

Lead me
To lead her, with strong hands.
To stand up when she can’t
I don’t want to leave her hungry for love…
I’ll show her I’m willing to fight
That she’ll always be the love of my life
So lead me, because I can’t do this alone.

I want so badly to lead, provide for, cover over, and protect my wife and child. Pray with me please.

Me and my Angel

October 3, 2010

Jon

Mozambique, Personal

8 comments

My Little Girl

A Jon Post

We’re having a little girl.
I get to be a daddy to a little girl.

Anaya Hosanna Heller will be here some time near the middle of February.

Over the next 20+ years I’ll learn what it means to raise a princess.
I’ll try to show her how a husband loves his wife. I’ll teach her how to drive stick shift. I’ll try to demonstrate humility. I’ll show her how to swim. I’ll teach her to clothe herself in strength and dignity and laugh at the days to come (Proverbs 31:25). I’ll teach her how to ride a bike. I’ll show her how to open her arms to the needy and extend her hands to the poor (Proverbs 31:20). I’ll teach her to climb cliffs and find hand and footholds where ascent over the crux seems impossible. I’ll hold her hand and dry her tears and pray away fevers and kiss away fear and drive out rebellion and usher in truth and shoo away ghosts and beasts that come in the night and I’ll love and care and hug.

My little girl.

Anaya (Look up to God) Hosanna (and SHOUT with praise)…

You’ll bring forth poetry, and song, and dance.

You’re little hands, wrought by tender scarred ones, will show love and comfort and gentleness.

You’re little feet, dancing in the footsteps of those of us who go before you, and standing on the shoulders of those of us who stand beneath you.

Look my little one… Look little Anaya.
Look at your mother and her compassion for the lost. Look at her loving submission to her husband and her firm wisdom and her ready smile. Look at her patience and her grace. See how she clothes herself in her gentle, quiet spirit (1 Peter 3:4), how she prays and fasts and buries heart in the depths of her Lord.

And look at your savior.
Little Anaya, look to the cross. Look to the one whose blood stained the ground and in whose grace and mercy we are purchased. Look to the cross my dear Anaya.

Oh, Lord Christ, save my daughter. In your mercy and compassion look past the sin that she is born into, that I pass on to her in my fallen flesh. Chose her for eternity, Jesus, and breathe life into a dead spirit. Save my daughter. Save her please. Have mercy on her. Don’t let her go into the night, don’t leave her in sin’s darkness, don’t let her pass into that shadow. Call her out into your marvelous light. Save my daughter, Lord Jesus. Oh… save my daughter, Lord Jesus.

I get to be a daddy to a little girl.

September 19, 2010

Jon

Personal

9 comments

A Special Time of Life

We had the exciting opportunity of being able to see our little one again with an ultrasound. Perhaps I shouldn’t have eaten candy before going, because the little booger was full of energy, bouncing all around in every direction. And while it was fun to watch, we could hardly hear the heartbeat or get a great picture. I left the doctor’s office giggling with the biggest grin. This little life is such a miracle.

Baby Heller!

Our other little, or not so little, one (Gasher) has become such a handful. In honesty, he is a great puppy; however, lately he has developed a few irrational puppy fears. As of yesterday, he is afraid of the grass. This is just dandy for potty time. Ha! He demands lots of attention and has begun to train us in the area of “lack of sleep”. We keep telling ourselves it is good preparation for baby as laziness is ripped out.

In other news, which is very exciting news, the Oncology department is close to moving into the new ward! Hopefully early this week the move will be complete. The new ward is said to have cold and hot water, which is such an added blessing. Technically I believe there are only supposed to be five patients per room, instead of the current situation of all the women in one room, all the men in another room, and all the children and moms in another. Certain things I will believe as I see them, though the new building will, without a doubt, be a huge improvement to where they have been living.

To marry the topics here…

I had the fun opportunity to take my new ultrasound pictures up to the hospital to share with our friends. Many women never get an ultrasound, and most of the children have never seen one. It was so special to share our excitement and even a little education for the kids. Some of the women did not know I was pregnant, making it a fun surprise for them. As my tummy grows, they are just overjoyed. We laugh and say that this baby will be Mozambican. One little boy insists it isn’t possible because it will be white. =)

This is such a special time of life; I want to soak it all up.

We love you. Thanks for your constant love and support. Your presence is felt here with us.

August 29, 2010

Layne

Hospital Ministry, Mozambique, Personal

2 comments

A Light-hearted Look Into Our Lives

A Layne Post

I decided this week to give you guys a little look at some of our favorite ‘spots’ near the house.

: At the end of our street

At the end of our street there is this little striped trailer. I love it. Without it, we would have missed our street a hundred times. I told Jon, “They can never move it!” In the mornings, when we can, we like to walk along the beach, admire God’s creation, observe some of the Mozambican life, hold hands, and talk about life and the future. There is a grocery store with a great bakery down the beach where they make fabulous cheap bread. We grab some fresh bread and walk along the beach back to the house.

: Waiting for a hot dog

At ‘Game’, a store a few minutes from our house that is like a Wal-mart, they have a hot dog stand outside. We were here a couple months, and every time we went there we would see and smell the hot dogs cooking and Jon would say, “Someday I want to try one of those!” One day we did, and they are good! Now it is a nice cheap little treat.

: Jon and Hot-dog man

Go ahead… you can laugh. I felt like a tourist taking this pic, but we love Hot-dog man!

: Take Out Pizza

This is a restaurant a couple minutes down the road, which has changed names a couple of times, but the food has remained the same. I noticed a sign across the street that advertised ‘take away pizza’. Turns out they have decent little pizzas! I especially like the Hawaiian. These days I can eat a whole one by myself! Ha!

: Date Night

And I thought I’d leave you with a recent picture of us.

We went on a date a week or so ago to a little restaurant called ‘Spicy Thai’. Yum! It was probably the fanciest we’ve dressed up since we’ve been in Africa, which was fun! We were definitely the nicest dressed at the restaurant, but I didn’t mind. It was a special night just for us.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed a little light-hearted look into our lives and our town.

We love you!

August 8, 2010

Layne

Mozambique, Personal

6 comments

New Team Member

We have a partner coming here to join us in ministry. We’ve been pursuing this person for about 7 months now, trying to convince them to join us in what we’re doing here and we’ve finally got a confirmed “Yes” that this person is on the way. We will have to wait until February or March of next year (depending on a few things) but we have a tentative date set at February 25^th for this person to get here.

We’re very excited to be joined in ministry and look forward to seeing how big of an impact this will make on our day-to-day lives. Actually, when we got married and were first pursuing missions we had thought about this person being a part of our team and we simply can hardly contain ourselves now that the fulfillment of that dream has come to be.

Ok, yes… we’re pregnant.

Welcome to the world Baby Heller. We’re so glad to have you in our family.