Northern Synod in Mozambique (2)

Day 4

Today we visited Ricatla Parish and Seminary where Reinaldo is pastor.

For the first time we had cassava with José pulling up a plant so we could see the tuber / roots we were eating. It seemed like a cross between potato, sweet potato and parsnip.

They greeted us with song and we introduced ourselves. Then we went inside to eat and all the women gathered on mats outside grinning as we had given them pencils, notebooks, toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Emma challenged the men as to why the women had to wait to eat but the women assured us that they were happy as this was their normal practice.

Then we sang and danced teaching the folk of the Parish Hallelujah, hallelujah which they loved and continued to sing as we left.

We wandered around the seminary seeing the single women and men’s quarters, the married students’ quarters and classrooms. We also saw the library containing books by Professor Cranfield. The books were so prized along with an old saxophone of the Presbyterian Churches’ founder that it had to be kept behind what appeared to be a prison door.

Dinner back at the synod guest house was a local ‘Red fish’ complete with eyes followed by an early night ready for travelling north in the morning.

Day 5

Today we had a bum-numbing journey in a convoy of three 4x4 off roaders as we travelled the 500 kilometres north to Imhambane. We had homemade burgers and egg rolls for breakfast. Our translator Ivo got caught in traffic on a cattle bus that gets filled to overflowing so we were 90 minutes late leaving. There’s a surprise! African time!

If the dirt tracks earlier had been a bit of a surprise then the main A1 equivalent road proved to be all the more so in places. The driving around potholes on one patch left those of us who are travel sick worse for wear. It is interesting that only experienced drivers in Mozambique are allowed to drive on these roads.

Toilet stops were amazing with men lining up on the road side and women hitching their garments. We didn’t believe we would ever master the hole in some places but needs must.

One vehicle notably slower than the others took a detour to a parish.

Matthew, Jo and Marissa visited a very small and very deprived rural community. They received a very warm welcome and were received into a church built from Coconut palms where they shared greetings and also planted coconut trees being invited to visit in 10 years and see them when grown. They were offered a glorious and humble feast which gave the three an opportunity to try new things. Matthew ended up with chicken neck on his plate which was a new experience as was finding chicken feet in ones soup.

The rest of us were getting exasperated as we did not know where they were and were hanging around in the pastor’s house. Then the girls went to the Minister of Finances House to sleep in the families beds and the boys went to Gloria’s, a government legal advisors; where they were adopted and mothered.

Day 6 - Emma’s birthday

Another early start led to the busiest day to date. Chicken for breakfast as well as lunch and dinner and we thought it might be the only meat all day. Then it was off to the tourist beaches around Flamingo Bay. We walked around a hotel built on stilts over the salt marshes that are the breeding grounds for many sea fish and watched shells with crabs in them moving around. Then it was off to Barra Beach where we swam and bartered with beach sellers for scarves, dresses and bracelets. Jo got attacked by Dracula the sand fly that Emma had to rescue her from.

Back to the pastor’s house for more chicken and rice and maize the staple food here plus a cassava leaves and seafood sauce called ‘Xiguinia’. Then it became clear how burnt some of us were getting. So we covered up for the afternoon programme.

We went to a piece of land that the parish were going to build their church on but had now more land so this was going to be as women’s self development project of breeding chickens to gain an income. We each planted a tree or two with people from the Parish to mark out the boundary of the site. Then it was off to the land where the church is going to be built. The architect told us of the plans for a training centre, church, family homes and guest houses on the 1 hectare site.

Ernesto and Rowena then laid the foundation stones and started the honour book that everyone could write in to mark the occasion. Then people cracked the tops off a different variety of coconut using machetes and the nuts were passed round so that we could share the refreshing drink within. Different coconuts and grass burrs that stuck all over us were not the only unusual plants of the afternoon many of the girl’s shoes are testament to how piercing some of the local seeds pods can be.

Then it was off to a different beach with rough surf and where our host pastors stripped to undies and frolicked in the waves to cool off and relax after the activities of the programme. The local market was visited where Matthew excelled himself in negotiating prices.

Back to the houses we were staying to freshen up. A group of activists from Mupota had travelled up today for a programme in the Parish in the evening. Due to timing we were not able to join them for bible study by our translator pastor Ivo but instead waited around for a reception dinner on the veranda of the girls’ hosts’ home. We divided up around our hosts from the synod and the local Parish but English was in short supply. The architect again presented the project and there was some discussion about the business plan and potential finances of it; these are unpromising in the short term but better in the long term if partnerships are sorted, and if through building using trainees and recycled materials the costs can be kept down.

After this beautiful meal with birthday cake for Emma and welcome cake for us and champagne we were glad to turn in after a very busy day.

Day 7: Sunday

Marisa got what time she was to be up wrong due to being tired and so everyone in her room was woken up at 5am instead of 6am.

The activists from Maputo were having breakfast at the church so we had it at a church member’s house. Then we went to church. The service began with a liturgy, then we taught a couple of songs – Hallelujah again went down very well. Rowena preached. Then we had a second offertory where in turn the parish’s present and English visitors were invited up to sing and dance their offering to the front. We did God’s love is very wonderful and gave an amount from all of us, having put our change in the first offering. We have videos to prove we can dance with the best of the Africans and that’s saying something. Then various choirs sang and there were presentations and speeches of thanks. We gave the local pastor Alfonso a URC cross and fish made of olive wood. Then we formed a line as we danced out of church and shook hands with everyone.

Then we met with the Sunday school and sat in the baking sun asking what they liked about church. They talked not of meeting friends but of the prayers and bible study, giving us the impression of a spirituality that is not always present in our churches. We then offered more small gifts to the children and young people that were well received.

The activists left for Maputo in a cattle bus and we then had lunch – more chicken and rice. Then we divided and some went back to beach.

Lucy braved the sea for the first time holding Sarah’s hand and various local people including Gloria came to the beach. Another small group crossed over to Maxixe in the ferry that took about 25 mins, and wandered around and had a drink in a ‘village square' before coming back in a much smaller boat that folk were crammed into. Bart one of our hosts was quite scared but it was a lovely thing to do and very relaxing. The sun burn is really glowing now.

We invited our hosts to a meal in a hotel in the evening and 25 of us sat around a table on the sea front to enjoy a buffet – with pizza for Kate who is not going to eat chicken again for months. Matthew got stuffed on steak as they kept bringing medium rather than well done.

It was a beautiful setting except for the more prevalent midges.

Day 8

The time up north was followed by a much-welcomed return to Maputo, particularly to off-load souvenirs and to be reunited with those things we’d left in our suitcases. Marisa’s eagerness only 24 hours earlier was exactly what we needed to begin our return home with a 6am departure. A few photographs led to the most prompt start we’ve had since arriving! African time was only 10 minutes out from British time – a good hour or two closer than normal.

Breakfast was an experience, arriving in a restaurant before 10 and not getting fed til about 11! The rest of the journey was smooth, with stops at the different pastors’ houses en route. Philippe’s house gave the opportunity to see rice plantations while Pastor Langa’s offered views of monkeys loose in the trees. Apparently monkeys don’t like men, and as all of us were wearing trousers we must all have been men – they promptly ran off! As we continued on the journey, the sleepyheads continued to nap before being awoken by shouts of ‘is that a goat on the roof of the bus?!?’ which astounded the people in many cars.

We arrived in Maputo to be met by lunch at 3 in the afternoon – not rice and chicken but an array of jacket potatoes, fresh veg and eggs.

Supper followed not long after! And for some that was only the first supper! In between lunch and supper, we chilled out and pondered what to do with our free day, while the hosts sorted out where we would stay for the night – something which took a fair amount of discussion!

The rest time has been very much appreciated to balance out our very hectic schedule in Inhambane. Supper in the synod office also provided the first opportunity to share in the chores as, until this point, our hosts have been most generous in making sure we’ve not had to do any of the hard work.

We quickly juggled and repacked our luggage for the night before the hosts arrived and we split up into pairs and threes to stay with local families.

Many of us experienced washing with buckets due to limited water supplies but on the whole we managed fine. The families were so keen to have us they offered food and very warm welcomes and expressed a keenness to have us back again! Tiredness caught up with us and we were delighted to get a good and long night’s sleep, having been advised we didn’t need to be meeting until the far more respectable time of either 8 or 8.30 the following morning. The rest was definitely greatly appreciated!