Its tradition here on the farm to host a small party for all the workers who helped build your home, we extended it to include all the permanent employees bc nearly everyone on this farm helped in some way or another, directly or indirectly. We were also able to provide a full meal, as we had some LOVELY meat donated by a friend. The guys were excited to come, as they knew it would be a good good festa!
So on Thursday morning we started preparing for lunch- first some of the meat went into the pot for "stew".
me and Suzanah (Raymundo's daughter) waiting for the Maheu.
I went with Lovemore to pick up the Maheu (local traditional drink made with cornflour , sugar, and water, left to "ripen" in clay jars for a few days until its "good". If you leave it too long it becomes alchoholic and there are few people who enjoy it then.. very few... but when its just "good" EVERYONE loves it. Except for us foreigners. I can hardly stand to smell the stuff let alone drink it!) You can see our Maheu was made in buckets not clay pots, since we needed a lot. We had about 35 guys for lunch. And 90 Litres of Maheu. By the time everyone enjoyed and took some for home it was all GONE. I think its one of those things that requires a lifetime of "getting used to" before you truly appreciate it. Im not there yet. :)
One of the workers wives made the Maheu- she is known for her excellent maheu making skills. Here she is with two of her children.
We got back to find the beans were now being cooked as well.
Me and Gladys worked on the sauce inside- tomatoes, onions, spices, garlic... mmmm.
Sauce in the back pot, beans in front.
Tendai wanted to help too, so Maganesu let her measure and wash the rice.
Rick of course manned the Braai with a whole lot of meat on it!
Everyone being served lunch and enjoying it!
Ryan was the only one from our family who actually enjoyed the Maheu.
Lovemore, Maganesu and Armando all recieved a gift as a thank you for working on our home with dedication for the last two years. Lovemore recieved a battery he has been asking about for a long time, and Armando and Maganesu each recieved a solar light and cell phone charging kit for their homes.
After we gave the gifts and everyone had eaten until they could not possibly eat any more, there was music and laughter and dancing and it truly was a great festa! So thankful for the many wonderful staff we have here at the farm.
Enjoying a great meal together!
We are so glad to be in this house. It feels like HOME. I find it hard to even remember how I felt in the other cottage, as it was so small, with no shelves or storage, and no room for Tendai to play. Our lives have changed so much since moving over here. I feel like this is where we belong, it is safe and fits our family in so many ways. It has room for our family- which has already grown to include Ryan, only a month after moving into this house! I have fallen in love with baking and cooking meals for my family, now that I have a kitchen with space to store things and countertop to work with and an oven that actually works. Oh.. and a fridge that keeps things cold!!! We have been so blessed. Please continue to pray for us- we have a small amount of work remaining to be done, some of the floors are not finished, window latches etc need to be put in so they can be locked, and our guest room is nowhere near finished. (But we promise if you come to visit we will get it ready in no time... just need the motivation!! :) )
Thank you to everyone who has given so much to make this place of rest and refreshing a possibility. We cannot express enough how thankful we are for the prayers and financial support of so many, because without those prayers and sacrificial donations there is NO WAY we could have done this on our own. We look forward to being able to focus on ministry for the next year without the added stress of a building project! We hope to do at least one more children's ministry training seminar this year, and several next year before we head home on furlough (Lord willing, in August next year). We also have DVBS coming up at the school in November, and a seperate DVBS for the orphan children in January, Intensive seminars in the end of Nov, Christmas Festa with the Amigo orphans in December and are looking at planning some exciting outings for them as well. We are so glad that God has called us to work that we love, even on the tough days!!
God Bless, Rick, Heather, Tendai & Ryan
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