In Maputo – Mon 16/7 and Tues 17/7

In Maputo – Mon 16/7 and Tues 17/7 We spent a relaxing morning in the bar of the hotel overlooking the sea completing our blog and reflecting on the synod meeting and jubilee celebration. For the latter press reports said 8000 were present and 5000 were expected so the number attending was probably somewhere between. In the afternoon Bart picked us up and we booked into a guest house at a third of the price of the hotel. Then we went to the synod office where the staff were in a meeting with the pastors from the central and north discussing their issues of non-payment of pastor’s salaries and other concerns. Officers came out to greet us and dinner was served. Then a visit to an internet café for Revd Jose Tovola to pick up his e-mail which took a long time before decamping to a café for coffee. Then we turned in and slept – even in a noisy street - bliss!

On Tuesday morning after breakfast we explored changing money at a bank before going to the synod office. We visited the sewing and knitting project that Northern Synod had raised money for. It has not yet expanded as more funds are required  to run a training scheme. We arranged to bring some goods back on sale or return. Keep your eye open for them at Northern Synod events. It was good to see that this project is progressing even if the anticipated growth is not yet apparent.

We then spent time in the Administration and Finance Department with Bart Langa looking at their synod (assembly) processes. He has one admin assistant (the second is on long term sick leave) and one desk top and one old laptop. Yet this office organised the jubilee celebration – a magnificent feat! Then we had lunch and greetings were shared between officers of their synod and ourselves. We presented them with some communion ware from churches that had closed in Northern Synod for which they were very grateful to receive. They have decided to use these in the synod itself rather than the parishes. Then we returned to finance where we discussed various financial information that Bart feels could be more effectively produced. We suggested to Bart that when he visits in October we show him our financial systems which might be of benefit to IPM and which we could support. Although finding appropriate software useable to those whose language is mainly Portuguese is tricky.

We then presented the admin and finance office with two laptops we had taken with us. Bart was overjoyed to receive a newer lap top and carried it around with him for the rest of the week. After a brief freshen up at the guest house we went down to the coast to the local fish market. We chose (already dead) our red fish and it was cooked before us in the restaurant. It took an hour to prepare with fresh vegetables but it was wonderful to eat.