Sorry we have neglected our blog site for the past three weeks, but we promise to be more diligent in the future. Quite frankly, we were enjoying our time of rest and relaxation in Mozambique to be concerned about writing things down in a blog. While most of the United States was being blanketed with successive snow storms during much of February we spent February 16 to February 27 on a sunny, warm beach in Pemba, Mozambique getting a sun tan, and enjoying all the amenities of a beautiful view staying in a beautiful hotel. Sometimes it really pays off to be doing missionary work in Africa!
Just before we left for Pemba, we had one last Sunday at the Open Arms Village with the children. Rachel Gallagher came with her mom to the village and we got to hand out new schoo
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backpacks for the children 
that a generous donor provided. Two year old Beatrice helped lead worship on Sunday morning, and Matt gave a sermon on the story of Gideon in the Bible. We 
also viewed the farm at the village, and got to see the new broiler chicken project at the village with the addition of over 100 chickens who will provide many future chicken dinners for the children at the village.
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backpacks for the children 
that a generous donor provided. Two year old Beatrice helped lead worship on Sunday morning, and Matt gave a sermon on the story of Gideon in the Bible. We 
also viewed the farm at the village, and got to see the new broiler chicken project at the village with the addition of over 100 chickens who will provide many future chicken dinners for the children at the village.After one of many busy weekends along with dozens of extremely busy weeks in Eldoret, we really needed the rest in Pemba. We got a great deal on a beautiful 5-Star resort in Pemba right on the beach. Just
sitting by the pool all day was as relaxing as it appears in these photos. One 
day we went snorkeling, another day we went shopping in Pemba, one day we went sea kayaking, and one day we walked around old-town Pemba, 
but most of the time we spent time at the pool or taking long walks on the beach. (Don't you just want to join us in Africa right now). While snorkeling we sa
w all sorts of tropical fish, coral reefs, and dolphins. While sea kayaking, we mostly saw a lot of waves, as both of us capsized while trying to exit or enter the surf. 
sitting by the pool all day was as relaxing as it appears in these photos. One 
day we went snorkeling, another day we went shopping in Pemba, one day we went sea kayaking, and one day we walked around old-town Pemba, 
but most of the time we spent time at the pool or taking long walks on the beach. (Don't you just want to join us in Africa right now). While snorkeling we sa
w all sorts of tropical fish, coral reefs, and dolphins. While sea kayaking, we mostly saw a lot of waves, as both of us capsized while trying to exit or enter the surf. 
We didn't see a lot of wildlife in Pemba, mostly the lar
gest snails we have ever seen, lots of crabs on the beach, and on one late night stroll along the beach, we saw dozens of eels trying to apparently spawn in the tidepools during a full moon. They splashed around quite a bit when we approached the tidepools, but it was quite a site. We also saw the largest baobab trees we have ever seen (they apparently grow quite well along the coast of Mozambique and Madagascar).
gest snails we have ever seen, lots of crabs on the beach, and on one late night stroll along the beach, we saw dozens of eels trying to apparently spawn in the tidepools during a full moon. They splashed around quite a bit when we approached the tidepools, but it was quite a site. We also saw the largest baobab trees we have ever seen (they apparently grow quite well along the coast of Mozambique and Madagascar).After 12 days in Mozambique, we were rested and relaxed and ready to go back to Kenya. We stayed two more days in Nairobi before we headed back to Eldoret. The last night we were in Nairobi, we went and watched a movie in a movie theater for the first time in six months (there are no movie theaters in Eldoret but Nairobi has several of the dozen or so movie theaters in East Africa). We decided to watch Avatar in a beautiful theather (unfortunately it wasn't in 3-D so we'll have to wait until we come back to the US to see it in 3-D), and after 3 hours of sensory overload in the theater (the special effects were amazing), Matt took Cheryl to the Carnivore Restaurant in Nairobi for some gastronomical overload. Cheryl had never been to the Carnivore before but it is one of the most famous restaurants in East Africa for good reason. After they sat us down at the table, they began to pile roast beef, 3 types of chicken, 3 types of sausage, ostrich meat, crocodile meat, 3 types of pork, and probably a few other types of meat on our plate, until we finally said enough (not a place for vegetarians).
We arrived back in Eldoret on March 1, and we have been busy since then catching up on overseeing the Open Arms staff, hiring a new teacher at the school, a new staff employee at the office, overseeing construction at the village, selling eggs from the village, and introductin
g ourselves to the new children at the village. Before we left for Mozambique, the Open Arms Village had just brought Mary to the village and they 
had just hired a new set of house parents, Paul and Sarah Maswai. Now they 
have accepted four more children to the village: Desmond, Naomi, Rhoda, and Caleb. The number of children at the village is now at 31, with 3 babies at the hom
e/office in Eldoret. With the new set of house parents,
and a new orphanage home just completed (the Amani Home, which means "peace" in Kiswahili), the Open Arms Village will continue to grow rapidly over the next few months.
g ourselves to the new children at the village. Before we left for Mozambique, the Open Arms Village had just brought Mary to the village and they 
had just hired a new set of house parents, Paul and Sarah Maswai. Now they 
have accepted four more children to the village: Desmond, Naomi, Rhoda, and Caleb. The number of children at the village is now at 31, with 3 babies at the hom
e/office in Eldoret. With the new set of house parents,
and a new orphanage home just completed (the Amani Home, which means "peace" in Kiswahili), the Open Arms Village will continue to grow rapidly over the next few months.Other changes that occurred while we were in Mozambique included the addition of some furniture for t
he new orphanage homes. Rachel Gallagher and Renee Scobel purchased some carpets for the children's bedrooms and also some carpets, sofas, and chairs for the living rooms. In a
ddition, washing machines, dining room tables, and other assorted items are helping to convert the Orphanage Houses into homes.
he new orphanage homes. Rachel Gallagher and Renee Scobel purchased some carpets for the children's bedrooms and also some carpets, sofas, and chairs for the living rooms. In a
ddition, washing machines, dining room tables, and other assorted items are helping to convert the Orphanage Houses into homes.We wish all of you the best and we miss you, but right now we don't miss the cold, rainy weather back in Portland, and even more snow in other parts of the country. Come out and visit us this Spring or Summer. It stays warm (but not too warm) and sunny here in Eldoret year round.
Have a blessed week.
Matt and Cheryl Tallman
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