Paetzold's in Mosambiek: Newsletter July

A picture = 1000 words! In this newsletter we would like to share a more picturesque view of our world……hope you enjoy it!

Alfred recently turned 45 and had a wonderful birthday! We took him to the Niassa Nature reserve for 4 days and stayed at a hunting lodge. It was a wonderful blessing! We even had a cook, although Alfred enjoyed braaing the meat himself! Here he is standing on a huge rock overlooking the forests – it’s called Magaanga (meaning “rocks” in Yao). We went on a game drive (we didn’t see much unfortunately) but we did have fun and he even shoot with an elephant rifle (at a target and not at an elephant!)

Everywhere around our village people live out in the veld to protect their crops and work on the land. Alfred has visited some of them and here we all went along. It was about 7km from our house by bike (no roads for cars here!) At the one house I could help a sick lady with some pain killers – enough for her to get to the clinic at least!

Please pray for the people here – it is not an easy life – baboons wreak havoc in their fields, work very hard to bring in a harvest, live in constant fear of spirits and being cursed, are isolated and fall victim to many diseases….

Our boys! They really do love it here! Christiaan turned 13 in May and went to camp out in the bush with his dad and a few friends – here they are having a mud bath – good for the skin??

Please pray for them as we soon go on furlough – all the transitions are not easy for them – yes it is nice being in one’s home country, but home is really here!

Alfred, visiting one of his friends out in the fields. When he got ready to leave they said – “No, now we first eat!!” And then the cooking began in earnest! :)

Our three and a friend from Lichinga helped the village kids to clean the soccer field after all the rain left it overgrown! They had lots of fun while working very hard!