Never a dull moment. . .

It's been a good but hectic weekend. Four of our supporters from Houston arrived on Friday for a week long visit. We are enjoying so much having them here with us.













We went to visit several house churches yesterday. The first photo is across the bay in Maxixe. The second is at David's house, just behind our house.















And of course, I've come to expect the unexpected.


Our gas bottle ran out of gas as I was in the middle of cooking dinner for eleven. Thanks to my small electric double burner stove, we were able to cook on the floor. (Thank you Nancy for your help!) Because there is apparently a shortage of gas, we are unable to buy a second bottle which leads to it running out while I was cooking.


Next, the dryer went out. We thought the problem was fixed thanks to the help of all the men (even if temporarily, until we get the new part) but this morning the belt broke, so now we're back to line drying again.



The kids are off to the beach while I stay home and catch up on grading for school, working my next deadline, and enjoying a bit of quiet.

Blessings!

Lisa

PS. One of my subscribers to my blog told me today that not all of the posts arrive in her email box. If you're having that problem as well, I'd like to know so I can find out what to do about it. You can email me privately here. Thanks!

Shopping ABC's

It's been a long time since I stepped into Target where I could buy shoes for the kids on one end and pork chops on the other. Things are done a bit differently here.

This first photo is my supermarcado or supermarket. I go here for clean rice (verses rice where you have to pick out the rocks) cheese, ground beef, and canned goods.


Family Fun sells yogurt, fairly good ice cream, and cones.















This last photo is of our bakery that sells decent bread and pastries.

These are only three stops of many, though. There are a number of Indian shops where we buy things like oil, butter, dishwashing soap, and popcorn. And don't forget the open-air market. I'm getting to know a few of the women there who sell mainly fruits, vegetables, and spices. I'll post photos of them in another post.

And since the selection here is limited, we always stock up whenever we have to go to the capital or South Africa on things we can't get here.

Over all, though, I'm loving experimenting with the local foods and coming up with new recipes. Look for my version of Indian Coconut Chicken in the next few days.

And if you haven't yet signed up for my yahoo newsletter, be sure and do so as I'll be holding another drawing to give away a few copies of my latest books for those on my subscriber list. You can sign up here.

Blessings!

Lisa

Too close for comfort. . .

One of the positive things about all the traveling we do is the educational benefits that go along with it. When we were in Brazil, we studied the Amazon, then went for a visit. We've studied birds and animals at the game park, and flew over Victoria Falls and learned about one of the most incredible falls in the world.

There are a few things though, that I'd rather not study quite so up close.

A couple of weeks ago dozens of blue bottle jelly fish showed up in the tide. I made the kids get out of the water, but let them study one without touching it. At home, we surfed the internet to find out more about them. One thing I learned, was that vinegar would help ease the pain of a jelly fish sting--just in case--so I decided to start carrying vinegar in my beach bag. Well, sure enough, this week, Gabriel was stung. The good thing was that vinegar really does help with the pain of a sting and it didn't turn out to be serious, though I certainly had hoped we wouldn't have to find it out first hand!

The photo above is a storm coming in along the coast. If you look carefully at the photo you can see a rainbow. Below is a photo of the moon I took from our front yard.

UPDATE ON MY MOM: She went to the surgeon and her leg is healing well with no infection! She's continuing with the physical therapy and gaining strength as well as mobility even though she can't put any weight on the leg for another few weeks. Thanks for your continued prayers!

Blessings!

Lisa

Interview and chance for a FREE book

If you have a chance, drop by my good friend and fellow author Lena Dooley's blog to read an interview on my latest release, Baker's Fatal Dozen and a chance to win a free copy of the book.

Blessings,

Lisa

Back to school

This past weekend, we attended a small house church across the bay and met Jose. Jose is an first grade teacher and very enthusiastic about what he does. When a child enters the school system here, most of them don't speak Portuguese, but once they get into first grade, everything is done in that language.

Since we've been looking for a language teacher so we can continue learning Portuguese, Jose seemed to be a perfect fit. He will be coming to our house four days a week at seven thirty in the morning for an hour of lessons. Scott studies with him two days, and I study with the kids and Emily the other two days. Today was our first day and I think it's going to work well.

Update on my mom: We've been calling my mom every day and she seems to be doing well and is good spirits. Tomorrow she meets with the surgeon to see how she is progressing and how long she will need to stay where she is. The facility is wonderful with lots of physical therapy and an atmosphere my mother likes.

Thanks so much for your prayers, emails, and calls!

Blessings,

Lisa

If it seems to good to be true. . .

You know the rest of that line, I'm sure. If it seems to good to be true. . .well. . .it probably is.

I'm always amazed at how many forwarded emails I receive promising me something--for nothing. Some of them seem harmless. Pass this email to eight people and you'll receive a cell phone or a laptop computer. Others that ask you to take a short survey and they'll deposit a lump of cash into your bank account. And even others ask for your help in smuggling money out of a country for a percentage.

Here's the catch though. Some are nothing more than bothersome urban legends that only waste your time. But in 2006, the Internet Crime Report showed that these kind of criminal activities targeting Americans had resulted in an estimated loss of almost two hundred million dollars. Thousands of people were scammed in such infamous con games like the Nigerian scam, fund transfer scams, and mail-order-brides.

That's two hundred million dollars people lost in one year. And this isn't a fictitious tale I'm spinning. Scary isn't it.

It's also the premise of one of my upcoming books due to hit the shelves next month.

Imagine finding out that your father has fallen victim to one of these long cons. After disposing of all his stocks, mortgaging his house, and maxing out his credit cards, George Taylor flies to Europe to meet with the man who promised him millions for his help in expediting funds out of West Africa. It’s a fortune he will never see.

When Lindsey Taylor tries to save her father from losing his life savings to the Internet scam, she discovers that losing everything you have isn’t the worst thing that can happen.


Take a quick sneak peek here for more information on FINAL DEPOSIT.

In the meantime, I'll also be posting some tips in the coming weeks as well as a chance for you to win a copy of the book. (See, there really are a few free things in the world that aren't scams!)

My tip for the day: It might seem elementary, but if something seems to good to be true, check it out. It just might save you a lot of heartache in the end.

Blessings,

Lisa

The Death of Hermon

No, this isn't one of my latest book titles, instead it's my refrigerated sourdough like bread batter. . .named Hermon. (And no, I'm not the one who named him.)

It all started a couple days ago when we made muffins from my oatmeal batter that is supposed to stay fresh in the fridge for six weeks. Jayden and Mariah took the first bites.

"They taste. . .different, Mommy."

"Bad?" I asked.

"No. . .just. . .different."

"Then eat them," I say. "There's nothing wrong with them."

Except there was. The batter, after one week, had gone rancid. They admitted that they hadn't said they tasted bad because they didn't want to hurt my feelings.

I dumped out the rest of what I thought would be a quick breakfast for our busy mornings. No more oatmeal muffins.

Later that morning I remembered that Scott had mentioned that something didn't smell right in the fridge. I decided I'd better check on Hermon.

Hermon was another one of my time-saving ways to help prepare quick meals. I've found tons of great basic recipes from a cookbook compiled by a number of African missionaries. Hermon is a starter you keep in the fridge, feed every few days, then you can use it to make things like bread, pancakes, pizza.

I took a sniff of Hermon then frowned. It was definitely Hermon, smelling far too fermented than he should have.

Sigh. So much for my quick meals.

So, I'm not sure what caused the demise of Hermon. My refrigerator is working fine. It must be the combination of too much heat and humidity.

Despite the loss of Hermon, I have found a great recipe for those of you who love Thai food. Cashews and coconut are readily available here, so this recipe is not only practical for us, but delicious.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Thai Cashew Chicken

1/2 C soy sauce 4 chicken breasts thinly sliced
1 1/2 T hot pepper sauce 1 T sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced 3 T brown sugar
1 T minced ginger root 1 large onion, sliced
3 T creamy peanut butter 1 C unsalted cashew nuts

1. Marinate your chicken with the soy sauce, hot pepper sauce, garlic, and ginger for two hours.

2. Heat sesame oil over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar until it dissolves. Next add the onion and cook until tender. Add the chicken without the marinade and cook until browned.

3. Add the marinate and 3/4 cup of water. Bring to a boil. Cook until the chicken is cooked. Stir in the peanut butter until blended.

4. Serve over rice and top with coconut, and cashews.

Enjoy!

Lisa

(The photo is of Jayden playing outside our yard with one of his friends. It's amazing at the games they invent with simple objects.)

Good-bye Pricilla

No, no one died, or even really left. It's just that it's not always easy saying good-bye to someone. . .even when it's a character from a book.

Okay, maybe it sounds a bit crazy, but when I turned in my the third and last manuscript for my Cozy Crumb mystery series this past weekend, I have to admit that I was a little sad. It's been so much fun to write about Pricilla and her quirky adventures that always manage to get her into trouble as she tries to solve a murder mystery.

For those of you who missed the first book in the series, it kicked off with Recipe for Murder. Pricilla Crumb, a superb cook and articulate hostess, plans an informal buffet for her son, but the dinner party turns to chaos when a guest is found dead after sampling one of her salmon-filled tartlets. Pricilla’s determination to save her reputation and find out the truth begins her unofficial career as a novice detective.

Book two, Baker's Fatal Dozen, comes out this month and is just as quirky and fun. Get ready to cook up a second helping of Pricilla Crumb and her hilarious schemes to serve up justice. When Reggie Pierce, who runs Pricilla Crumb’s favorite bakery, is found dead, Pricilla finds herself hot on the trail of another sticky scandal that begins with murder.

So if you love a good mystery, be on the lookout for Baker's Fatal Dozen. You can order a copy directly from me here or check out the official Heartsong Presents: Mystery site. The club offers four books every six weeks for a fantastic price of only $13.99.

And once again, I'll be holding a contest in my upcoming newsletter. If you haven't signed up, do it now because I'll be drawing THREE names from the subscribers list toward the end of this month. Each winner will receive copies of BOTH Recipe for Murder and Baker's Fatal Dozen.
You can sign up for the newsletter here.

UPDATE ON MY MOM: She's now in an transitional facility where she will receive therapy for her leg. She will be there for the next couple of weeks. Thank you so much for your prayers and emails!

Blessings,

Lisa

Update on my mom

Since so many people responded to my last post, I thought I would just send a quick update here again. Mom had her surgery late Thursday evening and was back in her room about 11 pm. They put a rod in her leg and everything went well. She had her first physical therapy session Friday, and was able to spend some time in a chair.

We spoke to her yesterday and while she's doing well, she's obviously very tired and is in some pain. She will be in the hospital until Monday. Because she has to be off the leg for eight weeks, there are a number of decisions that have to be made in the next few days. Please continue praying for my mom and my sister and her family who are caring for her.

Thank you so much for your prayers and words of encouragement!

Lisa

Prayer Request

I just found out that my mother fell on Tuesday and broke her leg in a couple of places. Since many of you who subscribe to my blog know her, I felt it important to ask for prayers for her here. She goes into surgery some time today.

If you want me to keep you informed of how she is doing, please feel free to contact me personally and email me here.

Blessings,

Lisa

Be prepared

I've decided that the boy scouts have hit one something very true with those two little words. Here, at least, I'm quickly learning the importance of being prepared. So what have I discovered?

1. Keep candles and flashlights in every room. You never know when the lights might go out.

2. Keep your computer charged. I have the feeling that my editor won't like the excuse of a dead battery.

3. Keep the water jugs filled. There's also no telling when the water might be temporarily cut off.

4. There are no McDonalds or Wendys here. Find ways to make cooking convenient.

Which is exactly how I spent a good part of my weekend. I froze pineapples, passion fruit and papaya (the fruit here is fantastic) for quick morning smoothies. I made individual banana breads for breakfasts, and a sourdough like starter for breads, muffins, pizza, and pancakes. I still plan to make salsa, tomato sauce, cookies, and muffins to freeze in the coming weeks.

Living here definitely takes longer, but I'm enjoying the cooking, baking, and finding ways to simplify my life.

What about you? I'd love to hear of things you do to simplify your life, including any recipes you'd like to share.

Blessings,

Lisa

Coming next. . .Good-bye Pricilla

Our new house

I realized this week that I haven't posted any photos of our new house. The owners are busy having a second floor built, and will move into it once it is finished. Considering it was supposed to be finished over a month ago and still has tons of work left, I don't think they will move in for quite a while. While we would prefer our own place, we think the situation will work out well. They have their own entrance and the yard is blocked off so we have our half for privacy.

Sunday night, we had a small church service and was excited that our living room was full. We are planning to use house churches throughout the area, but this was an encouraging beginning to our work here.
















When we first move in, I hated my kitchen. The workmanship is horrid and the cupboards are nothing more than deep cement holes, which isn't exactly where you want to put your clean dishes. It's amazing, though, what a bunch of cleaning can do. We are still going to built shelves in the bottom shelves, so I don't have to store my pots and pans in a bucket, but I actually love my kitchen now!
















Another project this week was to hang up mosquito nets. While the annoying fliers don't bother me, they certainly bother the rest of the family, and with malaria and issue here, they are important. This is Jayden's bed and net in the room he's sharing with Mariah.
















I love my schoolroom! We have just enough room for four desks and two bookshelves and so far it's working out great. We started yesterday and Gabriel told me that he loved his first day back to school. Not bad. And I even have the library for the kids I've wanted.

















I couldn't resist throwing in this last photo. We had some major plumbing problems to correct. The master bath was flooding at least an inch at night, and the main bathroom tub drained into. . .well. . .that was the question. Yesterday we brought in our own plumber who said the whole system had been done wrong and fixed both the leak and the tub. You can imagine my horror though, as I walked into the bath and saw the tub removed! As of today, though, the leak is gone.

Eighteen Years ago. . .

Eighteen years ago today, I married my college sweetheart. Like all married couples, we’ve gone through better and worse, and unlike most, lived in half a dozen states and that many countries. Looking back, I’m amazed at all that God has brought us through, and the way He’s forged us together like a team.

Yesterday, as part of our downsizing process, we made a pit and burnt years of files and papers we don’t need anymore (thanks to the internet). For me though, some of these papers spanned a decade of my writing career--from old rejection letters, to proposals (that certainly weren’t ready to be sent off back then), to printed out critiques from my writing partners. It made me think of how much he’s supported me all these years, through all the rejections, hours spent writing, and eventually paid deadlines.

He cooks dinner when I’m up against a deadline, takes the kids out to give me some quiet time, and faithfully critiques every manuscript straight through before I send it in to my publisher. When I get discouraged, think about quitting, or am simply too tired of the juggling act, he helps me put life into perspective.

And of course, there is life beyond writing. Every woman, wife, and mother out there understands how complicated life can be. Yet, he’s always been there to wash the dishes, run an errand, and sometimes, just to simply listen.

So here’s to you, Babe. Thanks for the past eighteen years together. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for the next eighteen years!

Lisa

Downsizing

We knew this day was coming. Last fall, before moving to Brazil, I sorted and got rid of as many things as I could before putting our things into storage, and. . .well. . .I'm doing it again.

Now, I'm not a pack rat at all, which meant that our house in SA actually had empty cupboards. Here, though, is another story. With our house much smaller, storage is at a premium.

Most of the houses around us are either cement block (like ours) or made from reeds. Thankfully, like one of our Mozambique neighbors in this photo, I don't have to hang my toothbrush out on the outside wall!

That's it for today. I'm off to unpack the last of our boxes. . .and find a place to put what's inside.

Blessings,

Lisa

It's here!

For those of you who have been following our move saga, the truck finally arrived yesterday morning! The driver and his crew have had quite a week with a flat tire (that almost tipped over the truck), the brakes going out, and finally being stuck in Maputo for almost a week.

But of course, the drama doesn't stop there. Unloading went quickly, but as the truck was ready to leave, we discovered that it was stuck in the sand. (We pretty much live in the midst of a giant sand pit). Four hours later and a hired truck, we were finally able to tow it out. Needless to say, it was quite a long day.

Our wonderful co-workers took the kids last night, so we were able to work late into the night putting beds and desks together. The room I'm most excited about is our school room. We're converting a bedroom for the kids and it's going to work out perfect. I'll send photos once things are finished.

The truck returns later today after a quick trip back to Maputo for the things they had to off load from the truck, but this time we won't make the same mistake of letting it take the road up to our house. Thankfully, it's just a few pieces of furniture and our mattresses.

More soon from this side of the world!

Lisa

Quick update

I realize that it's been a few days since I've posted a message, but to be honest, I've been too exhausted to find an internet connection and write. This was supposed to be the week of our big move into our house and well, as usual, things haven't gone exactly as planned. Here's a brief rundown of our week.

Monday: We were expecting our truck to cross the boarder in the morning. Then we received a call from the clearing agent who was missing a document. The same document Scott had asked them about everyday last week, even offering to drive it to Maputo if necessary. The moving company kept saying, no, everything was fine. So Scott drove to Maputo (six hours) with the original requested document.

On the home front, David and I painted our new house that will work for us, but is in need of a lot of TLC. TLC meaning painting and MAJOR cleaning.

Tuesday: Scott returned from Maputo with the clearing agent saying that everything was fine. We were now hoping for a Wednesday delivery since they were half way there. That idea quickly changed when we got a call saying that the truck was overweight and was not going to be allowed to continue in Mozambique. At first we thought there would just be a fine (which the driver didn't have). Eventually, though it was clear that the truck would have to be offloaded to meet the weight requirement.

Wednesday: While we waited on an update on the truck, we continued to paint and clean. The sand and wind make for piles of dirt in the house even if kept clean. The movers work to get a second smaller truck to offload the weight.

The plumber arrived to fix what we thought was a small problem and started ripping out the tile in the shower. There was a shower head, but they had never hooked it up to the water! Yet another mess.

Thursday: We found out today that because the truck had to be opened, a clearing agent has to inspect it, a process that could take up to three days. There is still a chance that they can bring the first load up tomorrow (with the extra weight locked up in storage) but there are no guarantees. More likely, we are looking at next week. We have to be out of our current house by eight tomorrow, so we are praying that the beds and furniture do arrive tomorrow as well, but we are learning to go with the flow.

I'm finishing up writing the third book in my cozy mystery series with Pricilla Crumb (and if my esteemed editor happens to read this, yes, it will be in on time!) Today one of the characters mentioned how she had enough fodder to write a book with all that had happened. I had to laugh, because our lives have been crazy enough these past few months to fill a book.

I've posted a photo of the view from my kitchen window. In the background you can see the bay. It's really beautiful.

Enjoy today!

Lisa

Home Sweet Home

With today being Sunday, we had a service at the bay and witnessed the baptism of two young men David has been studying with the past couple of weeks, while Scott continues to train David on how to disciple. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and communion as we start our new work here.

The only downer was the crabs (look closely at the photo below) There were literally thousands of them and Mariah wasn't too thrilled about their presence. :-)

Tomorrow at eight we get the keys to our new house! We'll be doing some painting and cleaning as we prepare to move in. At this point we are praying that the truck with our belongings has been repaired and is now waiting at the border to cross in the morning, but we will see.

It could be a few days (or more?) until we get our internet situation figured out, so if you don't hear from me, just know that I will eventually.

Thank you so much for your continued prayers!

Lisa

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Moving Day

Well, the big day finally arrived. While many of my friends and family celebrate the Fourth of July in the US, the moving company came to pack up our things. The team who packed up did a great job and somehow managed to get everything into the truck. Yes, we were a bit worried as we got to the end, because the truck was their medium size and we weren't sure it would all fit. All except for a couple odd things, though, made it on.

Oh but wait, there's more.

Like any good mystery and suspense author, we need to add a twist to our story, right? Well, I've got one for you. Less than a mile from my aunt and uncle's place where we packed up, the truck broke down. Yes, you read that right. And as far as I know, six hours later, it's still sitting there waiting for a mechanic to show up.

They weren't planning to leave the country with the truck on Monday morning when customs is open again at the border, so we have a couple days for them to sort things out. Please pray that they can get the truck fixed so they can drive our things across the border. We're all so excited (and ready) to get this moving process over.

Blessings!

Lisa

Wagons west. . .I mean east

I've always wondered if I would be one of the brave pioneers who headed out west in North America to find a new life. Many of them faced hardships, death, and sorrow along the way, while others found the new life they were looking for in the rugged untamed territories of the west.

I told Scott this week that I feel a bit like a pioneer. We've spent the past week working out travel arrangements and stocking up on supplies we will need like mosquito nets, laundry soap, and some staple food items. Th reality, though, is that our trek into Mozambique is nothing like it was for the settlers back then. When they left home, most of them never saw family members again. There were no telephone, internet, or moving trucks.

Turn of the twenty century missionaries had it even worse. They often left behind children and spouses and packed up their belongings in a coffin. No. Life is definitely easier for us today.

When we packed up to go to Brazil for language school, one of the hardest things we had to do was give away our pets, but circumstances made it necessary. So one of the things on our list has been to find pets for the kids. Which is exactly what we did this week. We decided that each child would have their own animal and with that pet would come not only the joy of having a pet, but the responsibility as well.

So meet Bella. (first photo) Bella is Jayden's new puppy. Eight weeks old and a ball of energy and personality. She's already bonded with him. She's a Jack Russell. This breed is especially good at catching snakes.

Next is Arya below, Gabriel's sweet and cuddly golden retriever. She is such a beautiful dog, and at six weeks old, loves to nap with Gabriel.

Mariah decided to wait and find a kitten in Mozambique. In the meantime, she's enjoying playing with the pups without having to clean up after them.

A new thing

For the past few weeks, all I've been able to think about is surviving the jumble of paperwork, packing up to move, and all the other things that have had to be done in the meantime.

And finally, the end is in sight.

We've spent this week dealing with moving companies and buying supplies we will need in Mozambique. The movers come on Wednesday to pack up and take our things across the boarder, By the next week, we should be almost settled in. Through all the paperwork hassles, packing, and living out of suitcases for weeks on end, I couldn't be more excited.

But something struck me this week. Our move isn't the end of things, but merely the beginning. As we continue to follow God's call, it's important for me to keep in mind the new thing that will be happening in Mozambique as we move forward with our work among the people there. We are excited to see what God is going to do in this beginning of His work there!