Pembury Baptist Church

Lyndsay Burgess has to renew her visa for Mozambique by going back into South Africa and getting her passport stamped in and out again on a relatively regular basis.  Here, she takes up the story:

'I am back from my trip to sort my visa out and have to say it was quite an experience! I think last week was the most random week of my life and could have been highly dodgy!! You'll all be pleased to know I am home safe and sound though.

I left Beira on Monday at 3.00am to catch the bus to Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. This was a 15hr journey but all went to plan. I arrived in Maputo at around half seven and the bus just dropped us all off on a random street somewhere. Mozambique is not the nicest place to be after dark and I really did have no clue where I was but luckily I have friends there that I met when I came to Moz before so I called one of them and he came to pick me up in his car. He took me to the hostel where I was staying and even though I had booked the room three days before, they said they didn't have my name down. They did have a spare room though so that all worked out ok in the end.

The next morning I got up at 6 to get to the bus station to get another bus to Nelspruit in South Africa so I could go to the border, get my visa stamped and then I had planned to stay there for a couple of days and do a bit of western shopping! So I checked in, and got on the bus.  After about an hour and a half we got to the border of Swaziland. I did think that I didn't realise that Swaziland was near Nelspruit, but my geography is not the best so didn't really question it any further. So we all got off the bus, went into the immigration office and they checked my passport and asked where I was going. I told them, and they all looked at me and said that the bus I was on was headed for Durban!!

Now, as I have since learnt, Durban is on the complete opposite side of South Africa to Nelspruit so I got bit worried. I went back and checked with the bus driver and he said that it was going to Durban and that I was on the wrong bus!! I then proceeded to have an argument over the fact that 3 people had checked my ticket which quite clearly said Nelspruit on it, and no one had noticed. They said that I'd either have to carry on to Durban or go back to Maputo, but Swaziland is in the middle of nowhere so I couldn't see how I was going to get back. Then they found another guy, a Mozambican in the same situation so they said i could go back with him. I had no choice as that was my only option so we ended up having to hitch hike back to Maputo in a random minibus!!

I got back safely but then had nowhere organised to stay! I had called Jen before, and luckily her boyfriend lives in Maputo so she called him and he had a friend who has a spare guest room. So she put me up and fed me for free which was really nice of her! I then flew back to Beira on Thursday night. So it was a bit of a nightmare in the way that it didn't go to plan at all, but it was nice that I got to spend time with my friends in Maputo and the house I stayed in was like being back in England!! Hot water and air con, and a very comfy double bed!! I was very glad to get home though and see everyone again! The trip involved chapa crashes and getting lost in Maputo and a delayed flight home as well, but I managed to get myself out of all the situations safely so it is all good. I consequently spent this weekend doing absolutely nothing which was so nice!!

At the moment Jill has some friends staying who are looking after 10 month old twins. Their dad brought the babies when they were first born because their mother died during child birth and he didn't have any money to look after them . So Ally and Leanna said they would take care of them until they are two and then it would give the father a chance to earn some money. So the house is quite full with me Jill, Ally, Leanna and the twins!! They are very cute though and its making me very tempted to bring a baby home from the clinic for me and Jill to look after. I don't think Jill would ever forgive me though if I did!!!

The news where I am living is that I have started the clinic with the orphans in Manuel's community and in the first week he brought me 35 sick children and 8 adults to see! I didn't have any medication or equipment with me as I was meant to just be going for a meeting to talk about how we would make things work! So I had to take medication back the next day and hand it all out, just on the basis of diagnosing them with the most obvious illness according to their symptoms!! It is impossible to diagnose properly here because you have no means of doing any tests, and also i am not a doctor so it makes it quite a challenge!! They work on the basis that even if you don't treat with exactly the right medication, something is better than nothing!! Highly dodgy if you ask me, so its difficult to change my mindset from the way in which I have been used to working at home.

Last week we managed to get some funding for some more supplies of medication from someone in Australia so thats cool. We are also going to buy some baby scales and try and do more of a clinic set up because at the moment I just see people in an office that is quite possibly the smallest room in the world!! So at the moment I go there on Wednesday afternoons but I think it will take up a lot more time than that once its running a bit better.

Lots of people that I have met here are really interested in coming to see it which feels weird when its something that I have set up. I didn't quite plan on setting something up so soon after arriving here, and it is completely the opposite to what my job description says. It'll be good though because people can then give me advice on organising things like this as I have no clue and am just making it up as I go along!! A new family has just arrived and the man was an ER doctor in the States, so hopefully he can help me with some stuff!

I was amazed at how God took care of me last week. Actually, I shouldn't say I'm amazed because He has looked after me so well, since the minute I got on the plane in January, but I am so thankful!! I was having a conversation the other day about how this last week made me feel. It made me feel exactly like I did when I first arrived in Mozambique. Really frightened and vulnerable and insecure, but this time I felt really peaceful at the same time. I didn't really have a clue where I was or what I should do, and I seemed to forget all my Portuguese, but yet I felt a lot stronger than I did when I first arrived. I know that was only because of the way in which my relationship with God has grown. So I was talking about how it all seems very extreme for God to use the fact that He has asked me to come to the other side of the world, and the fact that I get myself completely lost in Africa, to get closer to me.  It makes me laugh though, because even though it is extreme, I probably wouldn't listen if He told me any other way!! I feel like my relationship with Him has increased 10 times or more in the last couple of months and it is such an amazing feeling!!

It was so nice to get back 'home', and just that feeling took me back a bit, and surprised me that even though I have left everyone that I love at home on the other side of the world, I can still call this place home and feel comforted by it, despite all the randomness that goes on here! I know I can only do that because of God being with me every step of the way. Knowing that has given me so much encouragement for the rest of my life. We have no clue what is lying ahead but no matter how challenging things may seem at the start, God will give us all we need to get to the other side safely! And we will gain a whole lot of new wisdom and knowledge along the way so its all good!!

I would really appreciate prayer for this new clinic at Pastor Manuels and for wisdom to know what to do in all the different situations. Also could you pray for my financial situation? Basically, Oasis didn't give me enough in my budget to pay for all the visa trips I am going to have to do. I will need to do 4 more trips before I come home, so I'm in the middle of trying to sort it all out with them and its a bit of a nightmare!!

If anyone fancies a trip to Mozambique, feel free to come and help me! It's lovely sunshine here and very cheap. And you can have free accommodation and our emprigada (maid) will do all your washing for you!! And lots of very cute babies to be cuddled!! Pefect holiday opportunity if you ask me!!'