-
Memoir: Coronavirus convoy, day one, part two
Villages and sobas As we drove, I could see a few villages from the road, partially obscured by the foliage. The villages were comprised of no more than a few dozen small homes, even simpler than many I had seen in Menongue. They were made of mud or sticks and covered with grass. Durable materials…
-
Memoir: Coronavirus convoy, day one, 03 Apr 2020
Preparing to leave In the morning, the first order of business was to get everything loaded up. The governor had not yet signed our overland authorization, but we were not going to let that deter us. Not content to waste another day waiting, Christy was determined to set out for Huambo that morning. He and…
-
Memoir: Breakfast and the HALO Trust Ops room
Breakfast Uppermost in my mind was the dying camera battery that I would need to capture the remainder of my journey, whether that be by land or by air. Somehow, it had lasted from home to HALO without a charge, much longer than it had a right to. My battery charger was dual voltage; I…
-
Memoir: 29 Mar – 01 Apr 2020
I was grateful for the day of rest on Sunday. I needed it more than usual. Very little happened that day. Ngunza gave a message about it being difficult to make it to heaven if we don’t have humility and faith like a child, using a reference in the book of Matthew, chapter 18. To…
-
Memoir: Wednesday 25 Mar 2020
Painting On Wednesday, I continued working around the mission base. After Herivaldo and I painted the entryways to the classrooms, Wessel was pleased with how the red paint looked and decided to paint the entire floor with it. It was a dream of his to make each schoolroom inviting and cheerful, along with providing a…
-
Memoir: Monday 23 Mar 2020
After getting stranded by closed borders, I was given some practical work to do on the base. We also made a trip to town to stock up on supplies before the real lockdown in Menongue started. And I visit an open-air African market for the first time, and just in time, because it would soon…
-
Memoir: Friday 20 Mar 2020
Instead of leaving on the 20th as scheduled, I stayed in Menongue to see how the COVID shutdown would play out. The world seemed hopeful that it might blow over with a short quarantine. Nobody could have known just how protracted the battle with the coronavirus would be. I chose to make the best of…
-
Memoir: Birthday and anniversary in Angola
As previously mentioned, I had planned to be back home before my birthday and wedding anniversary, but the coronavirus made that impossible. It was the first anniversary that I would spend apart from my wife. My plan was just one of billions that coronavirus had left in ruins.
-
Memoir: Thursday 19 Mar 2020
Something goes wrong: I learned the morning of the 19th that Angola would close its borders that night at midnight (20 Mar 2020). After some presentations by the mission students, I made a series of phone calls to figure out how I might be able to get out of the country.
-
Memoir: Monday 16 Mar 2020
Awakened early by the OM version of “reveille” – a hammer banging on a piece of metal – I joined Joan and Herivaldo for a walk. The damp and chill of the night before had not yet burned off. We were heading for a discipleship meeting in the village…
Welcome to Angola 