The Blue Gate

The entrance to our yard is a metal gate painted a bright blue. My husband has our camera in Maputo to take a picture of our vehicle when it comes off the ship. Pray that the car will be unloaded soon! The ship has been in the port for over a week but has not been unloaded yet.

So, for now, you will have to imagine our bright blue gate. It was a bit heavy for the hinges so it hangs a little crooked and therefore scrapes the cement column on the side as it opens. That's ok. That is how I know when someone is coming in the yard.

So who comes in our yard? Well, on Monday, the first person in was Titia Maria, as the girls call her, the lady who helps us in our home. She usually walks through the gate carrying something for lunch in a plastic bag. I give her money in the afternoon when she goes home and in the morning she shops at the market for the day's lunch! Can't get fresher than that! Our staples for lunch are greens, beans, frozen fish, or goat meat.

Next the gate scraped open for four ladies with buckets in hand. It is the end of the dry season and wells have dried up at the majority of homes behind our house. So people come asking for water. We've put a limit on the number of people who come or else our well will dry up as well! We are thankful that until now, we still have water!

Around 10am the milk boy swung open the blue gate. He has brought 3 quarts of fresh milk for us on the back of his bicycle, riding at least 5 miles. He comes twice a week. The rest of the time we use powdered milk. I'll have to get a picture of his milk carrier on the back of his bike when I get the camera.

About an hour later, an old friend passed through the blue gate to say hi.

Then I see another face I don't know at the gate. A young guy was passing by, gazing into our yard, and decided to stop at the blue gate to ask for work. He saw the piles of bricks and sand in our yard that we have collected to build a garage for our vehicle. Being brick masons, he was hoping to land the building job. Unfortunately for him, we already have other masons lined up to work. So he doesn't get past the blue gate.

The last one through the gate as darkness falls is a Brazilian coworker who is staying with the children and I at night while Victor is gone. I lock the gate, praying for angels to stand guard for the night. No more scraping of the blue gate until tomorrow.