Day 4 - Sunday
Ernesto picked us up this morning and was already listening to the praise and worship CD that Courtney Barton had sent with us. We traveled the 2 or so miles from our hotel to the Redeemed Church of God in Marracuene. 
There was significant contrast between the dimly lit building, with its concrete floors and drab plastered walls, and the exhuberance and excitement of those attending. 
All the songs were sung acapela, and we were treated to special music by the ladies of the church, the youth and the children. Pat, Michaela and Greg all had the opportunity to speak, followed by a sermon delivered by Ernesto and interpreted into English by his assistant pastor, Seba. 
After the service, the chairs were immediately rearranged, and a single table was brought in and set up, and food was placed on it. It didn't take long to realize that the ladies of the church had made a significant sacrifice of time and resources to prepare this meal. Pat and Greg looked at each other, knowing immediately what the other was thinking: what do we do? Experience told us both that we should be cautious about what we eat and drink or we might suffer again from "tourista", something we both had had before and wanted to avoid. So, we prayed over our meal like we have never done before and began to eat. We picked around and were careful about what we ate, only to look at Michaela and see that she devoured everything on her plate without even blinking. We are grateful to report that there were no stomach pains. Lunch consisted of fried fish (carapao), cooked rice, fried potatoes, cabbage salad and cucumbers. Dessert was boiled peanuts.
There was significant contrast between the dimly lit building, with its concrete floors and drab plastered walls, and the exhuberance and excitement of those attending. 
All the songs were sung acapela, and we were treated to special music by the ladies of the church, the youth and the children. Pat, Michaela and Greg all had the opportunity to speak, followed by a sermon delivered by Ernesto and interpreted into English by his assistant pastor, Seba. 
After the service, the chairs were immediately rearranged, and a single table was brought in and set up, and food was placed on it. It didn't take long to realize that the ladies of the church had made a significant sacrifice of time and resources to prepare this meal. Pat and Greg looked at each other, knowing immediately what the other was thinking: what do we do? Experience told us both that we should be cautious about what we eat and drink or we might suffer again from "tourista", something we both had had before and wanted to avoid. So, we prayed over our meal like we have never done before and began to eat. We picked around and were careful about what we ate, only to look at Michaela and see that she devoured everything on her plate without even blinking. We are grateful to report that there were no stomach pains. Lunch consisted of fried fish (carapao), cooked rice, fried potatoes, cabbage salad and cucumbers. Dessert was boiled peanuts.When lunch was finished we loaded up into the car and headed for Possulane, where the orphanage is located. Five minutes down the paved road and another 15 minutes down a sandy trail and we were in the heart of the village. 
We immediately took a tour of the orphanage and saw the freshly painted rooms and stained concrete floors. Ernesto's pride of accomplishment and excitement about the future of the building was very noticeable. He himself constructed much of the building - making the bricks, laying the foundation, putting on the roof and plastering the walls. Ernesto then walked us around the property, showing us the bathrooms, water well and future sites for classrooms, a kitchen facility and office. Ideas for service to the children and families of the village flowed out of Ernesto like water. Ideas like "water evangelism", where he planned to hook up many of the village houses to the water well they had constructed on site, and have them pay cost only so that they would have fresh water in their homes. 
Telling of Ernesto's commitment to the people in this village was the hand cart he showed us and how he told us of the many trips he alone would make into town to buy materials, pushing and pulling the cart as many as 20 kilometers one way to buy bags of cement, or rebar or paint.
We immediately took a tour of the orphanage and saw the freshly painted rooms and stained concrete floors. Ernesto's pride of accomplishment and excitement about the future of the building was very noticeable. He himself constructed much of the building - making the bricks, laying the foundation, putting on the roof and plastering the walls. Ernesto then walked us around the property, showing us the bathrooms, water well and future sites for classrooms, a kitchen facility and office. Ideas for service to the children and families of the village flowed out of Ernesto like water. Ideas like "water evangelism", where he planned to hook up many of the village houses to the water well they had constructed on site, and have them pay cost only so that they would have fresh water in their homes. 
Telling of Ernesto's commitment to the people in this village was the hand cart he showed us and how he told us of the many trips he alone would make into town to buy materials, pushing and pulling the cart as many as 20 kilometers one way to buy bags of cement, or rebar or paint.His plan for the orphanage is to bring in teenage boys age 12-16 to educate them, teach them a trade and work with them for their first year out of school to save up enough money to get a place of their own and end their cycle of poverty. It is an ambitious plan, powered by deep faith in God. As Ernesto would say, "He will do it!"
Indeed.
We then met some of the kids in the village and sat down with Ernesto to hear his story. More on that later.
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