MUMPS/CHICKEN POX, RIOTS, AND EXPANSION!!!

That pretty well sums up the last couple of months here at the Zimpeto Children’s Center!  Mumps and chicken pox made their debut in August and chicken pox has been debuting since September.  However, the outbreaks seem to be lessening.  Whew!  You can imagine how relieved our nursing staff is! 

         

 

I am sure most of you (as the rest of the world) heard and/or saw on TV the rioting that occurred here in Maputo and Zimpeto.  Below are some pix taken through our front gate.  A private-owned bus was tipped over, pulled across the road to block traffic and set on fire.  Gunshots were heard in the streets and the community over our wall.  A little teargas swept thru our center a couple of times – Ugh!!  The center was locked down for three days and fun was had by all….especially the kidz because there was no school – no teachers could get here.  God placed His protecting angels around our center and one could strongly feel the Holy Spirit’s presence during this time.  The government finally stepped in and announced there would be no increase in the rice, bread and fuel…which was the main reason for the riots.

   

         

 

The farm is expanding!!!  While we will raise many kinds of vegetables here, the main focus to feed the center consistently will be on couve, beetroot and lettuce.  The first crop we have acocmplished consistently in producing is the couve.  The last four weeks, three times a week, the farm has given couve to our kitchen to fed the center.  God has blessed with great abundance of couve here in the sand!   One plant weighed 5 kilos…which is big by any standard!

                      

The beetroot production consistently is next.  We have grown some large ones, however have not concentrated to supply the center.  Now focusing on this delicious food product is terrific!   

Lettuce grows so fast here.  It has a short growth period as the Mozambicans eat the leaves and do not wait for the heart to be hearty like in America.  It is good and we are ‘sorta’ consistent with feeding the center.  Salads are usually twice a week and we are hoping for three times a week as we planted LOTS of tomato plants and lettuce this past two weeks.  Our very first crop of carrots is looking great, too.  The watermelons are well on their way to huge, as is the pumpkin.  American sweet corn is growing again, and the boyz are sure looking forward to it.  I took some of the first crop a few months ago and prepared it for them.  It is the first time they have eaten American sweet corn, as the corn grown here is field, or maize, corn.  I boiled it just right, dipped it in butter and salt!  Ummm, ummm good!!  The first crop of bush green beans was great!  I cooked up a batch for our kitchen staff and for the boyz…all are asking for more!  Thx, Mom, for the recipe..eventhough I found no saltpork – I used bacon.

Thx for your time in reading my blog!  It is quite lengthy this time as I had some ‘catching up’ to do.  I will endeavor not to wait so long to update again.  Blessings all!!