My Life as an African Gypsy

During our visit to the Oncology ward last week, Jon and I agreed that we would like to spend part of our Christmas day at the hospital with the patients unable to make the journey home. The Oncology department here in Maputo is the only one in all of Mozambique, so many of the patients have come a long way and family is quite far.

I can relate; I am a long way from home and my family is quite far.

Because we are new to the area and currently do not have any children, we did not have many plans for the day. We went ahead and promised our new friends a visit.

After sleeping in and eating some scrumptious homemade cinnamon rolls (a tradition I keep), we headed up to the hospital.

A man we have grown to love, Tony, saw our car pull up and came out into the parking lot to greet us enthusiastically. Precious.

During the past few weeks we have been working mainly with the children there. Jon has also had the opportunity to get to know some of the guys, who are fun loving and eager to chat, but it has been a little difficult for me to connect with the mothers of the children. They are friends with one another and not sick, so not in terrible need of conversation. I felt like I was trying to gain respect with their click.

I have not arrived and have not given up, but I had another opportunity today... I was able to spend a good amount of time with the women in the ward, who have cancer and are going through treatment. I had such precious conversations, and felt so welcomed and loved.

I kept telling them, "I do not have family here; they are in America, but today, you are my family." They assured me that I was not alone.

What a good Christmas spent with dear new family.

(Christmas morning with yummy cinnamon roll with cinnamon cream cheese icing.)