Category: Personal

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.

Perfect... just perfect

July 17, 2010

Jon

Personal

22 comments

On the Road Again

A Layne Post

Well Jon and I have been on the road again. I am really believing that there will come a day in my life that I will not know the next “trip”, but for now that is not in the near future. I bet when that day does finally come, I probably will be antsy to go. Ha!

On our way from Namibia we traveled through Botswana and stayed a few nights with our dear friends, who are really more like family, the Walkers. We thoroughly enjoyed fellowship, pizza and Mexican food, and games.

*Insert Note* We are so blessed to have friends as close as family all over southern Africa.

Thank you Lord!

Mozambican Visa

Now we are in Pretoria, South Africa wrapping up preparation for Mozambique. Good news! As of today we can excitedly report that we have 6 month business visas! It is not ideal because it still requires exiting the country every 30 days (which is about 1.5 hours drive); however, it is 6 months, which feels like a long time. Once we are in Mozambique we can pursue a residence permit. Won’t that be an exciting day? To be residents of Mozambique… yes, yes, that will be a very exciting day.

Wednesday we will be making the 7 hour drive to Maputo, which is really one of my favorite drives here. It is beautiful! We travel through gorgeous rolling green hills, sprinkled with rich farmland, through mountainous areas with a rushing river flowing just near the road; we stop at a precious little fueling station called ‘Milly’s’, complete with homemade candies and jam; we drive past banana tree fields and palm tree lined roads. Ah! Lovely, right? Someday I hope some of you can make this drive with us.

Prayer Requests

Safety on the road
Residence visas shortly after arriving
Low or no import fees for the vehicle
Smooth language transition into Portuguese, once again
Jon’s back, which has been bothering him for a week or so

Thank you guys so much for loving and praying us. Your presence is undoubtedly felt.

May 24, 2010

Layne

Mozambique, Personal, Travel

3 comments

We’re in Namibia now

A Layne Post

It is crazy how life can change so drastically in a matter of days.

I told Jon, “Only a couple of days ago we were sitting in our little mud house, sipping our off brand sodas, and eating our meat from a can… Now we are being hosted by the most gracious family, staying in a beautiful home, eating steak and chicken and drinking iced tea!” Sometimes I have to laugh thinking about this life Jon and I live.

Jon, Jorge and Lazaro

Leaving Angola was difficult. Because my last bout with sickness was worse, we were rushed to get to a doctor, and we felt unable to properly say ‘goodbyes’. There were many we were just unable visit. Those we did say ‘goodbye’ to were very understanding and sympathetic. I will not forget standing with two Angolan pastors, holding hands as they prayed over me for healing and prayed peace over my family in the States. They cared for me. Genuinely.

The precious family hosting us in Namibia has overwhelmed me/us with their love. They have opened their home, schedules, meals, lives, and hearts to us with no reservations. They have gone to lengths to make sure I am cared for medically, which has put my mind at ease. They have been Christ to us, in action. How He cares for us so well!

Where I am at medically: We have seen the doctor, who seems a bit as baffled as we are. After checking me out, he said, “You look healthy to me!” Which I am until it hits. My symptoms sounded possibly like gallstones, so we went for an ultrasound. No gallstones, everything they could see with the ultrasound looked normal.

Me Washing our Clothes

I have an appointment tomorrow (Monday) to decide on more tests. We will test for h-pylori, a stomach bacterium I had last year; the symptoms do not match perfectly, but it’s worth checking. We may also have an x-ray done where I swallow barium to check for hernias and whatever else they could see in there. We may run blood tests to check my pancreas. Really, because we are limited on time, I want to run every test that could be a slight possibility.

Pray for wisdom and direction for the doctors.

Where I am at emotionally: I was sick again yesterday. I am tired. I am frustrated that we have not found anything out. I know it takes time, but I was still hanging on to the hope it wouldn’t. I struggle not to worry about going to sleep or dread any small pain in my tummy. Jon prays with me, as we hand it to the Lord. Jon is such a support to me in all of this.

Where I am at spiritually: I trust the Lord and His mighty hand. I trust that He is more than capable to heal me in an instant. As encouraged by my mother-in-love, for this time, it could be an opportunity to gain a bit of understanding for pain, as I plan to serve the sick and dying. I am not the only one to suffer. I am not the only one in pain. There are so many others who endure much more. I hope to know the Lord in a more intimate way at the end of all of this.

I want to thank you all for your encouraging words and prayers. I feel completely surrounded by love and supported by friends, even from so far away! What a precious gift that I do not want to take it for granted. I am humbled and grateful. Thank you.

April 18, 2010

Layne

Personal, Travel

4 comments

Courage, Pharisees, My Friend and My Bride

A Jon Post

I spent much of today thinking about what I wanted to post. I decided I’d just post a few things I’ve felt and written down recently. I’ve felt a little discouraged lately and I know missionaries are supposed to be perfect and awesome and not have any problems but this week I guess I wasn’t the great missionary that most people seem to think I usually am. Here are a few thoughts from the week. Feel free to read one at a time and come back to the others later. I’ve been loving the depth of the Hebrew language as I study the Bible lately and as a result I debated about it in my head for a bit tonight and decided to put the word “Selah” after each thought. No I don’t think I’m some kind of psalmist I just really like the meaning and depth of that word. After unloading a passionate thought when I put “Selah” after it I just feel like it caps it and proclaims that peace that is so present after expressing deep things. So there it is. Read on. This is what my life is like here some times.

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What does it take to find courage? I found it tonight in just singing a song of desperation. I sang and sang and sang and found courage in a thankful heart. I know it sounds cliché but it’s true. I found that lifeblood rhythm that God planted in everything while I was just singing a “thank you” to my Christ for His blood.

Selah

Pharisees… What a show… Men more interested in tithes and recognition than service. A man more interested in screaming his “sermon” than the truth of the Word of God. How did the Gospel get hijacked by these fools? How did the most beautiful, most honest, most caring, most loving, most gracious, most free, gentle Gospel get turned into a two hour pitch for a “donation” and a magic prayer that heals everything?
A day is coming… a day when these men… these men whom God has commanded to be the chief servants in the church, to live in abject SLAVERY to the body of Christ… these men who live as if the whole reason for the church is to bring honor, wealth, comfort, glory to THEMSELVES… these men will look for mountains to hide under to escape the wrath of a holy God.

Selah

My friend Lazaro, I really like him. I worked alongside him trying to keep up with his endless energy. His smile and laugh are pretty infectious. And he sings… oh friends he sings…
His language; N’kangela, his heart; praising his God, his African voice; lifted to heaven. It’s so natural to him. I really really like Lazaro. We joke, we work. And I’ve even gotten to study the Bible with him. He doesn’t have his own so he knows very little beyond what his pastor preaches on Sunday mornings. What an honor, to discover the Living Word of God with my friend. I really like Lazaro.

Selah

My wife
My princes, my bride. Nothing compares… nothing.
African sunsets, wind gently playing in the tall grass, rainbows of birds; bright and beautiful as they skirt the tips of the grass, a jeweled river; dazzling in its reflection of the sunrise as it cuts across the Angolan countryside…
All of this beauty… All of this… Nothing compares… Nothing.
“I have set her as a seal over my heart like a seal on my arm. For love, Ahava, love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns in me like a blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench Ahava, love.” Song of Solomon 8:6-7
My lover, my bride.