I'm here and jumping in!

Well, I'm safe and sound here in Maputo and trying to get all settled in. All the other missionaries have been so great. Really warm and welcoming. Two of the girls made me dinner the first night and it was just a good chance to get to know them better. Tues night myself and 2 of the other newer missionaries (one just arrived last week) and I went over to the director's homes to have dinner and chat! Yesterday I started getting my feet wet in the baby house as well as going out into the city with 2 of the girls to get some of the things I would need for my place. So now I have a comforter, sheets, bath towels, a lamp, a nice wicker chair to sit in, and lots of other stock things you always have to get when you first moved into a place...plus FOOD! Today I dove into the baby house pretty much all day and then tried to rearrange things the way I like them so my room feels homey. One day, I'll find a nice rug for the floor and get around to painting one of the walls with an accent colors and find some decent material to make curtains from.....but for now at least it's starting to feel like more of it's mine.

There's tons to do cause we just lost our Mozambican nurse and we're looking for another COMPETENT one that can help me in the baby house. There's a lot of changes myself and the director (Ros-a nurse from Australia) want to make in there as far as medical care and how everything's run/kept up with ect. Even as simple as immunization schedules and keeping on top of 40 kids. We're trying to get it done before we get another nurse hired so that we won't be too confusing for her. And I can't understand the children or the tias (aunt in portuguese..the caregivers for the babies) and to make matters worse the other nurse (mana Erin 1) went to Portugal for 2 months before coming here and is really good so now everyone's getting us confused and keeps thinking I speak portuguese...ha ha (did i mention we are practically the same hieght, same build, same hair color, and similar features?? besides the fact that we are both Erin W). Mana Erin 2 does not speak portuguese(that's what the kids call us actually, except it's un and dos instead of 1 and 2. We're trying to work out private tutoring lessons here on the base for myself and 3 of the other newer missionaries to help jump start us.

The internet's been down the last few days so don't feel bad if I haven't responded quickly enough...it'll prob. be the norm anyway. I'm way behind on season finales so no one tell me about htem. I'll probably get around to that too. But it seems like there's never enough time. Time moves really fast here and I can't believe it's already thursday night as I'm writing this. Wish I had something amazing to say, but really...I'm just glad my luggage came the next day and NOTHING was taken from it. Also that I have yet to be bitten by any strange bug..and only 1 or two mosquitos (pesky critters). I know this is right where I am meant to be and can't wait for everything He has planned to unfold. I know that many challenges and hurdles are going to arise. I already have much to learn. But, I'm excited and can't wait to share the amazing things happening her. As for me, right now I gotta go check on a rash, another kid we think might have come down with dysentery(which is what ended up making all those babies sick for 2 months earlier part of the year)and start him on antibiotics if he does, give another round of meds, and cook/eat dinner all in less than an hour before church starts. Argh! Ok gotta run. Prayers for quick language acquisition please!!!!