A Tropical Thanksgiving

"Singing a New Song unto the Lord"

ATLS Participants

A Tropical Thanksgiving

It seems a little strange to be eating turkey and mashed potatoes while sweating…yet, no matter the weather, there is always a season for giving thanks and celebrating God’s goodness! We’d like to share a few things we’re thankful for with you:

Training Doctors, Saving Lives

Brian has been busy coordinating a six week block of Emergency Medicine training, ending early December. A highlight of the block was an ATLS (Advanced Trauma Life Support) course offered to 40 students. It is humbling to think that the class pictured below will constitute 3-4% of ALL Mozambican doctors, potential peace makers.

Peaceful Elections

Thanks to all those who held the nation of Mozambique up in prayer during and after the elections. The incumbent President Gabueza was peacefully re-elected, and Mozambique has been touted as a “model nation” for democratic processes. We are thankful to be here, during this pivotal time of nation building, and to be invested in developing the future leaders of this country.

An Upper Room Experience

The winds howled overhead as Brian taught on Cervical Spine x-rays at the Medical School. Tropical storms are common this time of year, and we were enjoying the break from oppressive humidity. Suddenly, a wrenching utterance drew all eyes skyward as the roof was torn from the building, falling 40 feet to land on our truck parked outside.

Thankfully, no one was hurt, and, after 5 hours of work to unpeel the roof off of our vehicle, we discovered that the “roof racks” (appropriately named), prevented major damage, leaving bent panels and scratches as reminders of the event.

Singing New Songs

ACAC hosted their first worship conference in Beira. The participants were enthusiastic and engaged, and are eager for the next conference, which we hope to host in April. Megan’s favorite part of the conference was hearing the new scripture songs the participants composed.

Guests from afar…

We are grateful for a recent visit with the Africa Directors for WorldVenture. They were quite encouraging, and said that we were ahead of the curve in terms of our capacity in ministry and life skills (we’re just glad to be on the curve, thank you very much!!) We were pleasantly surprised, as we still feel as if we are “crawling” forward in our efforts to serve.

The girls continue to bless and to challenge us on the home front ministry. All three are anxiously awaiting visits from “Auntie Dawn”, and both sets of grandparents this Christmas. We are indeed blessed!

Faithfully,

Brian & Megan Meyers & girls

Elephants Never Forget

The Meyers family

Elephants...

The elephant charged. As our guide floored it to escape the pounding, angry mammal, our friend Greg noted, “Elephants are nice. She won’t hurt us.” But this seemed like a different sort of beast. Even after stopping a safe distance away, her maternal instinct prompted her to come after our truck of tourists again.

Obviously, Greg and I survived our recent exploration of Gorongosa National Park—a local safari, beautiful, memorable and WILD. They say that the elephants remember the war there and thus they charge occasionally.

There are many effects of the civil war (1977-1992) here in Mozambique, some of which we have mentioned before, the least of which are crazy-eyed momma elephants and a vast depletion of the animal life. Essentially, an entire generation of Mozambicans grew up without any thought of algebra or biology. Many scrounged for coconuts, cashews and cover, fleeing hunger and bullets, fighting for survival.

...Never Forget

17 years later, we are privileged to be working with the first generation of local Mozambicans to ever be medically trained in their country. The students are enthusiastic, earnest and diligent. Very few of them remember the war, but the collateral effects remain. They are treading into the world of medicine and an ocean of HIV.

In many ways the hope for their profession and their country depend on their character as leaders. This hit home yesterday as I talked with a 22 year old medical student for a couple hours. We discussed his family, his views on witch-doctors/traditional medicine and how there is tenion in this culture between myth, mystery and modern medicine.

This particular fellow recently went with me to a Christian conference for medical students. He came away saying that after his dad died a couple years ago, he didn’t know which way to go but now he knows. Humility, honesty and plain old hard work are the difficult but necessary traits this man is adopting to help lead his country through the maze of medicine and modernity.

The Family
This transition has been work for the entire family...Jordan and the twins, Eden and Zion, attend a local Portuguese pre-school, occasionally correcting Brian's embryonic efforts in this language. They are energetic and beautiful.

Speaking of which, Megan continues her work with ACAC (an alliance of Christian artists here in Beira), where she is involved in teaching, capacity building, and administration...more on this later.

Thank you, dear friends and partners in this effort to academically train and spiritually mentor this, the future of Mozambican medicine. Please continue to pray.

Faithfully, Brian Meyers (& Megan & girls)

Grao a Grao

Grão a grão enche o papo a galinha!

(Grain by grain you fill the gullet
of a chicken!)

This Mozambican proverb has become a bit of a mantra. In essence, it describes the fact that a task is completed little by little…and so we are encouraged, and challenged to continue to be

“filled” (I guess that makes us the “chickens” in this scenario, huh?). It reminds us, and others, to be patient with the process – and to rest in the knowledge that – one day – we will accomplish the goal (of learning Portuguese, of becoming more adapt at understanding Mozambican culture, of teaching physicians and musicians, of being good parents, of loving our neighbors, and of becoming more like Christ). Grão a grão!

Learning Portuguese

Most of the stressful circumstances we’ve slogged through these last 3 months are simply due to a lack of language capacity. We are very motivated to continue to be “filled” with Portuguese. However, facing simple mistakes, embarrassment, frustration and limitations requires fortitude and courage. One day we can feel competent and the next we can feel like “idiots” depending on whom we’re speaking with.

Our field director put it this way, “Now you can be completely misunderstood in two languages!” Sigh. Fortunately, he told us during his recent visit that he was “blown away” by our language progress. Pray for perseverance, patience, and peace!

Worship Conference

Last week I had the privilege of joining with ACAC (Christian Alliance for Creative Artists) in presenting a worship workshop for Makua worship leaders and pastors in Nampula. What a thrilling adventure to teach and encourage the greater body of believers in Mozambique. The ACAC team is a joy to work with, and we’re excited to ask the Lord for guidance about future steps. The founder is leaving in a few months, leaving a fledgling ministry to grow and develop. Pray for guidance, wisdom, and unity!

Mozambican Medicine

Last night, Brian gave a curbside consultation (literally) to a 40 year old banana vendor. Upon examination of her pelvic X-ray, he discoved a pathologic fracture, likely from tuberculosis. The implications are grave in a country without prolonged IV antibiotics and negligible chance of a hip replacement. She likely has contracted a chronic background disease that lurks on every street corner here.

The urgency of such situations helps drive him in the tutorials and clinics at the University to provide a solid, passionate and spiritual education to these bright and enthusiastic young Mozambicans. Pray for us as we host these students for lunch next week!

Brian's 1st tutorial group

Growing up Girls

The girls are continuing to grow and fill our hearts with delight (most of the time). Jordan is enjoying a Portuguese “cresche” (pre-school) 5 mornings a week and her abilities in Portuguese are growing in leaps and bounds. The twins are also coming along, in their own way, and have become the darlings of guards and pedestrians by yelling “Hola!” at everyone they see on our nightly walks.

Pray for peace, patience and gentleness as we navigate the next
steps in parenting.

Peace be with you!
Brian, Megan, Jordan, Eden & Zion

“Casa De Luz” – Lighthouse (farol)

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. (Matt 5:14-15)

Dear friends, we can gratefully say that we have now “landed” in our home for the next 2 years, and the dust is (seemingly) beginning to settle. We’ve been blessed with a fabulous home located right on the north edge of town, two blocks from the beach and a beautiful lighthouse. We’ve got a small roadside market in front of our home, and our front sidewalk is daily crowded with girls getting their hair braided, kids playing cards, and women catching up on the latest gossip while enjoying the shade. We’re honored to begin building relationships with them – from the occasional medical consult, to language learning, to shared “bedtime stories” and “playgroups.” Ministry starts literally at our front door!

The significance of living down the street from the lighthouse isn’t lost on us. Some have said that lighthouses are some of the most selfless buildings created, as their sole purpose is to guide ships safely into harbor. That’s what we want this new home to be for us, and for everyone else that is influenced by our lives here - that the Lord’s light (manifest in our home and in our lives) would guide many, many people into the harbor of His Eternal Love.

NOW WHAT?

Lord willing, we’ll start Portuguese learning in earnest this next week – as up ‘till now, we’ve had to get by with a dictionary, bad pronunciation, and a lot of gesturing. Although Brian is now quite adept at describing various household problems – like pluming issues, or electrical problems, we have yet to become fluent in discussing heart-to-heart issues. We have laughed a lot with our empregadas and new neighbors as we’ve tried to describe things we don’t know the words for yet, like “small black rocks that you use for cooking food with” (ie, charcoal). The word sounds suspiciously like the word for horse, so we’ll see what we get next time I ask for it!

We’ve been very grateful to be welcomed into a small fellowship of believers, BIF (Beira International Fellowship) who meet on Sunday evenings. Most are involved in ministry in some capacity here in Beira. They’ve been a tremendous blessing – from bringing meals when we first moved in, to recommending guards and places to find household goods. Brian & I are getting “plugged in” to small groups through BIF – which will prove to be a good place of accountability, encouragement, and growth for us both.

Brian’s begun work at a clinic (through the Catholic Medical School) one morning a week, and has really enjoyed being a “doctor” again! I’m hoping to connect up with a partner in ethnomusicology and continue on the work he has begun in creating a network of churches who are investing in the development of worship music and worship leaders.

The girls continue to delight (and aggravate) us….let’s be honest….3 toddlers is just plain tough! I told Brian yesterday as I was cleaning up the mess around the house for the 3rd (or was it 4th?) time that I felt as if I was trying to build a sandcastle while the tide was coming in. A lesson in futility, perhaps – definitely a lesson in letting go and trying to enjoy the journey. Jordan turned to us the other week as we were all sitting down to eat and proclaimed, “I’m beautiful and wonderful and marvelous!”


Jordan is now a “big girl” as she can go pee-pee and poo-poo on the potty now! We’re so proud and grateful to have one kid out of diapers - especially because disposable diapers are not as readily available as we thought! We’re averaging 20-24 cloth diapers a day (our entire “stock” at this point) – which means we do a load of diapers each night and hang them out to dry in front of a fan so they’re ready to use the next morning.

The twins are getting better and better at communicating in more than grunts, squeals and screams. Both have mastered the word “up” (although it still sounds like “bah” sometimes). Thankfully they include the internationally recognized gesture of raised hands and a head thrown back in eager expectation of an adult immediately scooping them up. If that doesn’t work, they add the bounce and the whine in repetitions of increasing volume, “up, up, up, up,” until one of us relents and picks them up.

We are growing in our love for each other, for our neighbors and for our Lord. Although we’re far apart from many friends and family around the world, we feel particularly close as we celebrate our Lord’s death and resurrection together as a Body of Believers. May you experience His love and life in even greater degrees this Easter season!


We love and miss you…and have a “guest suite” waiting for your arrival!

Love, Megan (for the family)
Email: meyersb@aol.com
Blog: http://brianmeganmeyers.blogspot.com/
Skype name: megan.brian.meyers
Online ph #: 313/332-4052
Mailing address:
Dr. Brian Meyers
Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Cátolica de Moçambique
CP 821, Beira, Mozambique

P.S. On a technical note….Please do not be alarmed….our internet service is NOT up to speeds in the USA. So, if we don’t get back to you immediately, or if we aren’t as communicative as we’ve been in the past, know that we love you and are thinking and praying for you. Also….please take us off your forwarding groups, and make sure you “downsize” pictures and send as attachments. We are charged for downloads!

Waiting...and waiting...and.....

“My soul waits for the Lord in the hope of His promise, deliverance will come…my soul waits for the Lord, through the night, through the morning, like the night watchman waiting for the coming of the dawn.”

Today we were awakened by screaming girls at 5am – completely dark outside. It’s a juggling act trying to keep 3 active toddlers asleep in their own beds – in fact, they’ve managed to obtain more human bites than mosquito bites this last week. Seems that’s the preferred method of delineating personal space in our family (grin)!

By the time I got Eden settled and Brian removed Jordan from the room (Zion peacefully slept through the whole fiasco) it was dawn. I was reminded of this verse…and how we’ve been waiting on the Lord to provide a home for us the last few weeks.

Waiting is challenging, isn’t it? Especially for types like me, the “get out and get it done” kind of person! We’ve looked at a few homes with a real estate agent, and spent a number of hours driving around the neighborhoods and looking and asking around on our own, and it appears that this home is God’s provision for us at this time. It’s been quite a journey – one of exploring the city and our own hearts and what it means to trust God and walk in faith.

We know so little about this city, and realize that where we live determines much of the shape of our lives and ministry for the next 2 years. We’ve wrestled with the incredible disparity of living conditions – and what our responsibility is in terms of pursuing social justice, living among the people we feel called to serve, and finding a location that will prove to be a haven for us and for our girls.

It’s challenging – this tension of caring for a family and caring for the poor. The poverty here is so much more profound than the poverty in Detroit, MI. When we encounter beggars – which is basically whenever we go out of the house – we’re faced with the reality of, essentially a “tempo di fome” (time of hunger). We see people who clearly have physical impediments – missing limbs from landmines, blindness, the crippling effects of polio – who are asking for something to eat. These aren’t people who are asking for their next fix, just their next meal. I think twice before I casually throw out a half-eaten cracker that the girls have thrown on the floor of the car. I know that I’m being watched by the ever-present street kids, who hungrily eat our “left-overs.” Dear God, forgive me for my wastefulness, sense of entitlement, and lack of gratitude.

The reality of poverty hits even closer to home when I think about our dear empregada (housekeeper, nanny, and guardian angel). She makes 2,000mts/month (what I spend each week on groceries). I wonder what goes on in her head when I pull money out from a seemingly “bottomless” wallet for her to buy produce. She sadly informed me the first day she came to work that she’s never been able to have children.

How she manages to stay free from resentment and anger is beyond me. More than that, how do I - a privileged, educated employer - interact with her in a way that extends love and grace and hope? This is a question, among others, that I’m honored to discover the answer to in our time here in Mozambique.

North...to Beira

Dear readers…well, it’s been awhile. I’ve been composing “blogs” in my head for the last few weeks, but have had a difficult time finding time to sit down and share them with y’all. In addition, it appears that internet access here isn’t quite what it is in the States.

Our trip up to Beira from Maputo was full of emotion. It’s been a journey “in process” for at least 3 years when we felt the Lord leading us to “Cross this JORDAN” in 2006 and to move ahead with a fledgling desire to minister in Mozambique. I found myself getting choked up throughout the first day of our journey as we sped north along the national “highway.” The juxtaposition between poverty and beauty is heart-rending, and the sense of destiny was strong. Then we got to Vilankulos.

Oh my, how much like the Israelites am I! How quickly I can interpret God’s provision as a punishment. Somehow the memories of our first stay at Smuggler’s in Vilankulos (Jan 2008) were much better than the reality. Hmm….

We stayed in a “chalet” which quickly went from “charming” to “nightmare-ish” as we discovered that the twins didn’t want to sleep in their pack-n-plays, Jordan didn’t want to sleep with her sisters, and Josh’s room was locked with no key. So…Brian ended up sleeping with the twins, Megan “slept” with Jordan, and Josh kept company with the kitchen floor. Oh, and the power went out for 5 hours that night, leaving us HOT and prime targets for mozzies (as we’d left our nets in the car, and had neglected to slather on repellant…thinking the fans would keep the mozzies away).

Needless to say, we were ready to head on out of there by the next morning. The roads were reasonable, and we had a great time with Robert & Karis Koehn (& kids) for lunch. Then off to Beira.

Our entry into the city was less than triumphant. The girls had all managed to fall asleep but were rudely awakened by a pothole and decided to accompany the last 10 minutes of our journey with screams (not of joy, let me add). I was reminded of T.S. Eliot’s poem “Hollow Men,” (thanks to my High School English teacher, Mrs. Brown) in that our journey ended not with a “bang” but with a “whimper.”

We finally found the AIM guest flat, dragged ourselves and the girls and the luggage up the 3 flights of stairs to the top of the apartment complex, unlocked 5 locks, and entered our new “home.” It was HOT, the girls were miserable, and I was quickly degenerating into something not quite human. Desperately I tried to remind myself that this was my choice – I chose to join Brian & Josh on this trip to help decide on housing, rather than stay in Maputo. I was ready to throw in the towel and find a nice air-conditioned hotel where I could take a cold shower and drink a “stiff” cup of “coffee.” However, we had nowhere else to go.

So….we managed…and we’re still managing, by God’s incredible mercy and grace. Somehow, we’re slowing finding our way around Beira, making new friends, opening a bank account, taking Portuguese lessons, and, hopefully, have found a home to live in for the next 2 years. We’re surviving the heat and frequent black-outs, learning to wear sunscreen and repellant religiously, navigating around the markets with our crummy Portuguese, and (most days) still loving each other deeply. More than that, we’re learning to appreciate our new friends and gaining a greater sense of God’s calling on us here.

Confessions of a "recovering" Perfectionist

Well, dear friends...I supposed I should begin this blog with the following introduction: "Hi...my name is Megan. I'm a recovering perfectionist."

Yes, it's true. I know it may be hard for some of you to believe (haha), but I'm a dyed-in-the-wool, type-A, "J", "Martha, not Mary", control-freak, goal-oriented woman of God...living in a country whose very essence is completely opposite to my nature.

So far, Mozambique has eluded my attempts to control, to change, and to conform. Instead, I've been the one who is being transformed...I've been rendered a blathering idiot on the best days, and a frustrated snivelling blob on the worst days (which, by the way, have been quickly fixed by an iced coffee and chocolate)! (Read...comic overstatement). It's a bit like the movies when it goes into slo-mo....everything I try to do (including speaking) is slowed waaaay down. No microwave, instant, fast-food life here! Perhaps this too, is a blessing in disguise.

When sharing my frustrations with others, the response has been, "TIA: This is Africa!" or, "TAB: That's Africa, Baby!" like that's somehow reassuring....(grin).

However, I believe there's a deeper lesson here for me to learn - one that I'd like to share with you. What I'm slowly realizing is that it's not TIA...but it's "TIG: This is GOD!" Yes, God, in His infinite wisdom and grace, is giving me a learning opportunity.

The reality is that I cannot control anything - even in the US, mind you. While I know this to be true in my head, it's my heart that has a hard time wrapping itself around this truth and embracing my inadequacy. So, God sent me to Africa - out of the "wading pool" and into the "tidal wave" of learning to TRUST HIM - even in the mystery of it all. It's like He's inviting me to surf - as there's no way to control the waves of His plans for our lives. Pray with me that I will release my "death grip" on the surf-board of faith and enjoy the ride!

EXAMPLE: Our truck was starting to have some problems. Josh took a look at it, and discovered that our recently serviced truck had no coolant and a broken line. While this situation completely altered the plans for the day, it's timely discovery allowed us to get it fixed before Brian took Ross (see picture above) to Chokwe to work with Peter Ernst (dear friend and community health worker) for a few months. God's mercy averted a major disaster!

So for those of you who can relate to this perfectionist on her way to becoming a surfer, "Surf's up!"

"O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast unmeasured, boundless, free. Rolling as a mighty ocean, in it's fullness over me...."

Hanging 10, Megan