Working for Green Door

I have had the amazing opportunity to work with Manuel helping out with Green Door this past week.

Green Door is managed by Manuel a Mozambican who works for the Ray of Light project here in Dondo. He is a tall slender man with an amazing smile and a heart for the Lord. He pastor's a church plant in Savane, goes to school at night, is married and expecting his first child. Did I mention that he is brilliant as well? He speaks like 7 different languages! 

Anyway, my days are spent driving the CRI pickup truck, which is an essential part of Green Door. On any given day multiple trips are made to various places to pick up needed supplies.

All the homes that are being built are 'off' the main, this would include all the places we need to 'shop' for supplies. But then this is Mozambique, nothing is easy here. 

So now you get the idea, Manuel is in charge, I just drive where he tells me to. There are times when he says, 'turn down this road' and I  laugh. You have got to be kidding me, trust me when I say there is NO ROAD, it can hardly be called a foot path. But, there I am turning as directed.

So, it won't surprise you to hear that as we were headed to a new site, for the next mud home, I was once again directed to take this path.  As it turns out, about 20 feet down the path two men were digging in the middle of the 'road'. They saw that we needed to pass and so they removed their shovels and motioned for me to come ahead..

I looked at the guys in the back, sitting on the pile of creosol boards and as they nodded to go ahead, I did just that.

It didn't look like they had displaced too much of the sand in the road. Then bam, the front tire hit hard and the next thing I knew, the truck was on it's side and I am laying against the door.

As the boards and men continued to fall off of the back of the truck, I realized that I was okay, but I wasn't sure about the truck. I prayed and asked God to let the truck be okay, please don't let anything be wrong with the truck.

Only moments had passed when the next thing I knew, there were 8-10 men trying to lift the truck out of the hole. They were yelling for me to go forward, first I prayed some more, and asked God to please help me be in first gear! 

They lifted, I prayed, nothing, the car didn't budge.

They tried again, now they wanted me to go in reverse, again I prayed. At this point we had gathered quite a crowd, there were kids everywhere. I prayed that God would protect them as I once again pressed the gas pedal with all my might. Still nothing.

So they shoveled some sand under the tires and once again lifted, this time they were more men on the front of the car. They were using their bodies to press the front of the car down. 

Now as they all shouted go forward, I prayed that the men in front would be safe.

I put the car back in first gear, pressed the gas pedal, they lifted, the car jerked forward and then I was headed straight for the cement wall that encircles the medical clinic.

I turned the wheel as hard as I could, not easy as there is little power steering in this truck.

I turned the truck off, started to laugh and once again thanked God for His faithfulness and protection.

As we continued down the path to our destination, I wondered how much more can those guys dig up before we return???

This was just another day of life in Mozambique....and you wonder why I love living here?!