Munguluni Mission

A few weeks ago Drew and I were presented with an opportunity that we could not pass up. Two friends of ours needed to go to Mungaluni Mission in the North of the country. They had acquired a vehicle and paid fuel for the trip through their work (ADRA), and asked us if we would like to drive them and come on the trip. This was an amazing opportunity as we both (Drew in particular) have wanted to go to the north of Mozambique for quite a while now. It is a place of intrigue - the REAL wild Africa. When you look at a map of Mozambique, it doesn't seem very big in comparison to the rest of Africa, but let me assure you, it's a long country. I just did a google search and found that California coastline is about 840 miles. Mozambique, on the other hand has 1534 miles of coastline. And most of this coastline is completely unspoiled! Pristine white sand beaches, etc... I could go on and on about the beautiful beaches here... But let me get back to the story. Fuel is expensive here, so having the fuel paid on this trip was a big deal. We could not say no. So we packed the back of the Toyota Hilux 4x4 and took off to see the north. For four people, it was a very full truck! But with good reason. You see, one cannot just stop at a restaurant and get food whenever you want when you are in the bush. Especially 4 vegetarians! So, I had cooked a heap of food and froze it in our deep freeze. This was our food supply, but it was bulky. Here is a picture of Drew deep in the back of the truck.

We were supposed to leave Thursday afternoon, but Drew got tied up at the farm finishing a project that had to be completed before we left. By the time we got into town to pick up the girls, it was about 8pm. Not only were they tired, but Drew was tired as well. Our friend Elizabeth had been moving out of her apartment, cleaning and packing, and had just handed the keys over that day. This is what they looked like when we got in

All but me voted to sleep and leave the house at 2 am. Unfortunately I was very awake at this point, but tried to sleep anyway with limited success. I was up again shortly, and we left at 2:30am on the beginning of our trip north! Drew and I tag-team drove, and I happened to be the only one awake when the sun came up. It was beautiful! Especially for a night person who doesn't like mornings. But, as this was an exciting morning with new adventure ahead, it was beautiful. We ate snacks and drove all day, noticing that the further we went north, the smaller the road got. Notably, this is the ONLY road that goes North-South in Mozambique.

You'll notice that one truck had to hit the ditch for them to pass. How do they determine who hits the ditch when it's oncoming traffic?!? It's like playing chicken every time you drive... Also, the further we got north, the further south the quality of the facilities went. In Maputo, at least you can find a toilet with a seat on it. North of Maputo, none of them had running water, never a toilet seat, and the smell became increasingly bad. In the end it was much better to go in a bush. These are two of the better toilets

Then we crossed the Save River. This is essentially the mid-way point in Mozambique.

After this we started seeing many vehicles/busses/tractor trailers that were on the side of the road abandoned after accidents, mostly of which included fire. Here is one of the busses.

The road was narrow and bad with a lot of pothole dodging and fairly intense driving. There were always people. There is no way you could check a text message while driving - you might hit a goat, dog, giant pothole, or crazy driving car who is also trying to dodge potholes causing severe and sharp turning sometimes into your path. Even if you were looking for a snack! As the sun set and we welcomed the Sabbath we were greeted by this beautiful bridge

I have never experienced a road that would surpass the road we then encountered. This road was the worst of all roads. In comparison, the road to that point was nothing - like a beautiful road. By this point it was late at night and we just wanted to BE THERE!! The potholes were so bad that it bounced our battery out of it's place and the truck shut off. We coasted to the edge of the road and got out under the starlight to try to fix. Amazingly enough, even at 10:30 at night, when you think you are way out in the middle of nowhere, there are still people. We were surrounded by a small group of curious villagers in minutes. It was at this point that Drew found the battery connector didn't have a nut to tighten it to the battery post. Not only that, but the battery was the wrong size for the battery holder, of which was also broken. Oh dear. It was held on with a flimsy sort of wire, which had wiggled loose and broke with the bad road. This is how things are fixed, even on a new car here in Mozambique.... no wonder you don't see many old cars on the road. They don't last that long!! Thankfully we got the connection back but did no have the equipment to fix it correctly. We would drive a little further and another giant pothole would dislodge it again. This proceeded to happen at least 10 more times on this road. You see, the problem is that the road construction crew would sneakily repair a section of road, making you think that the potholes are over. As you slowly gain in speed and confidence that you may be out of pothole territory, you are greeted around a corner with the worst of the potholes that you are completely unable to slow down for. Needless to say, no one could sleep during this section of the road. Poor truck. I wish I could have gotten a picture of this road... Alas it was dark. During the night we also came across a terrible accident. With no markings, no warning, and had we not been paying attention, we would have crashed right into it as well. There were no people there. Hopefully they had gone to seek medical attention. As we passed we learned that the first truck had pulled over, putting a small branch of a tree in the road as a warning (as they do), but the second semi didn't see the warning and plowed into the first. Yikes!!!

We finally arrived to Gary's house just after 2 am. It took us 24 hours to get there! We were exhausted, and shortly fell into bed. The reason that we had pushed through those 24 hours was so that we could make it to Munguluni for church. We had made it to Mocuba, which normally is only 1.5 or 2 hours from Munguluni, but due to large floods earlier this year, the bridge was washed out. The only way to get to Munguluni was by a boat crossing. We had coordinated to cross in the morning, and dutifully got up early and left Mocuba at 5 am. (note how much sleep we had... :/ Gary drove us to the river and we were able to see the devastation that the floods had. Very impressive destruction! It was here we saw that we were going to cross this river in boats that were made out of bark.

I'm standing on the edge of the bridge. Can you see where the road picks up again on the other side?

They can carry all kinds of things over this river! Just not a truck :(

We unpacked our things into a boat and got in as well. As the "driver" pushed off with a large stick the water lapped at the side of the boat with only a few splashes coming in. The water pooled at our feet and we were quite happy to make it to the other side.

This is our scared friends Evani and Elizabeth following us across in a different boat. A staff member of Munguluni was there to greet us and take us the rest of the way to the mission.

Attracting all kinds of attention

We drove down a little trail that was called a road and encountered a few other bridges that had been swept away by the floods. These had been repaired by industrious local men who had charged a toll for anyone crossing directly after the floods. By this point, there was no one manning the bridges as there was a very limited number of cars on that side of the river anyway. Apparently it wasn't as lucrative as they thought. I could not keep my eyes open as we crossed over these bridges because they were that scary. I had accelerated heart rate and sweaty palms... and if you know me very well, I don't get scared easily. I actually got out and crossed one bridge on foot as I was sure the truck would fall through.

I made a short video of this potential destruction, but they made it across the bridge. If I can figure out how to insert that, I will... We made it to Munguluni and were greeted by Evani's house mates who hadn't seen her in many months! (She was unable to return to Munguluni for some months as she was down south when the floods happened and bridges destroyed). We had breakfast with them in their humble home (which was one of the nicest in Munguluni) and walked to church. We were stuck with how beautiful it is there. Munguluni is surrounded by these interesting and beautiful mountains.

Church was translated from Portuguese to the local dialect. Too bad for us. According to the nice people around me, I am learning Portuguese quite fast, but I still could only pick up on maybe 2 words per sentence if I'm lucky (and very focused). Regardless the church service was most interesting. All the children sat in the front. None of them with their parents. The older ones took care of the younger ones, no matter if they were family or not. They sat still and quiet through the entire service.

Then the most interesting thing happened. It was time for offering. The deacons got up and held plates at the front of the church. A few people came forward and put their offering in the plate, but then two men brought forward a large sack stuffed full of corn. Then a lady came forward carrying a large basin on her head. She knelt and put the basin down in front of the deacon filled with rice she had grown. This continued as the people of the church brought their first fruits of harvest. I was blown away! I had heard of giving of your first fruits in the Bible, but never thought of it happening in real life. It was such a simple, wonderful, pure gesture. Seeing this type of giving, giving of what you have, is very humbling. It makes your re-evaluate your giving habits. Are you really giving what you can to the Lord? Isn't it all His anyway? I wish I had a good photo of this... I really do need to figure out how to upload videos here, because I have a video of this. Seems like I've done it before, but like... 10 years ago. Gettin' rusty We enjoyed the rest of the day with a larrrge nap. We got up for supper on Sabbath. Truly a day of rest! And we felt sooo much better after that sleep. We were truly sleep deprived and I don't think I have done a road trip like that since college! That evening we played games with our new housemates - Rummikub was the favorite, though Uno a second. The generator came on nicely just after dark for the few hours a day of electricity that they have at Munguluni. The lights went out during play, and so we finished playing by candlelight (and the light of a cell phone). Imagine only having electricity for about 2 hours a day.

Sunday we went for a walk out in the village and were greeted by many friendly villagers, with relatively tidy homes. This lady was pounding corn into a corn flour that they use for their staple "Xima" pronounced "sheema"

Monday was a holiday, and we were in the right place for it because it was Children's Day. This day is set aside to celebrate children. I think we should have this day in the states as well! Munguluni has about 400 children in their school and they all participated in a day of fun including songs, sone dancing, and presentations from the classes. We started at their normal gathering place for information and songs, but then moved under a large tree, enjoying the shade for class presentations and games. They loved the sack races in particular.

As I was taking some pictures, I noticed that there were so many american t-shirts! You know that the kids or their parents don't know what the t-shirt even says. So, if you donated children's t-shirts to Africa. Be assured these kids and all of Africa got one.

As we headed back we saw the washed out bridge from the other side. What a devastation. You can see that a lot of trees and such had washed up and gotten stuck on the right side of the bridge. This apparently was there from a previous flood and was not removed. The water therefore could not get through during the recent flood and instead choose a new path washing out around the bridge leaving a huge gap. Careful! There is only a small stick warning that you may drive off the cliff!!!

Overall, one of the best experiences that I've had in Mozambique was at Munguluni. It is filled with amazing people, warm and friendly, and I can really feel the Spirit of God at work there. There is not much information about Munguluni. If you are interested in learning more about this amazing place, follow this link:http://documents.adventistarchives.org/Periodicals/SEQR/SEQR19610301-V28-01.pdf

things where persons should be

The other night Drew and I were driving late at night. We were carrying some speakers in the back seat from an outdoor movie that Drew had set up for. We only had about a 15 min drive to go, but were stopped by police before our destination. We were not speeding and were curious as to why we were pulled over. After greeting the policeman, he told us that the problem were the things in the back seat. Really? We asked. He went on to explain how you cannot have "things" where people should be, and vice versa. Mind you, that in this country one of the main forms of transportation is riding in the back of the truck. He is telling us that is illegal, as well as having items on seats that are meant for people. When we questioned, he replied that it is true, and "haven't you read?" assuming we have access to said rule book (which we don't). The fine was said to be 1500 metacai, which translates to about $45. For having "things where persons should be." Oh dear. Thankfully, Drew was able to stroke the ego of this policeman who was then essentially asking for a bribe, and we drove away without a fine. This is just one of the may examples of silly fines and stops here in the third world country.

coffee shop musings

I’m sitting in a coffee shop this morning. This is a rare experience and one that I miss since moving to Mozambique. Drew had an appointment with the Embassy this morning for a new passport and then had a list of errands, none of which required my presence. I was quite excited to come to a coffee shop for a couple of hours. It’s reminiscent of the many many hours I spent at coffee shops in Lincoln during college and grad school. I found this coffee shop in Maputo that reminds me of an American coffee shop. There are people from so many different nationalities here! I even think that the people sitting 2 tables away from me are American (WOW!) Different colors and different languages. It seems that when you travel outside of the US you find so may more people that are traveling too. I have so many things to blog about that I don't know where to start. Perhaps I'll start by making a list 1. A trip to a surprisingly abandoned resort with a hand-drawn map 2. The abandoned hotel adventure in Xai-Xai 3. The may fines and rules of Mozambique a. Things where people should be b. Hand out the window c. Inside of car being unorganized d. Cannot use bright lights, even when no one is on the road? e. Cannot use horn 4. Different terminology, for example, white coffee. 5. Adventures of Geckoing 6. Meeting new people in Nelspruit, SA. Hiking, and the long drop 7. My puppy and the soon addition of a kitten! 8. Growth of the Nursery & the "Rat" 9. Security at our house, guards 10. Electricity problems 11. My NEW FRIDGE!! (well, new to me) 12. Much much more I think I'll start with "white coffee." Appropriate as I am in a coffee shop currently. The other weekend while I was in South Africa, I noticed that there was two types of coffee - Black and white. I've never heard coffee with milk called White coffee and I find it quite interesting that in a country where color is such an important issue, semi-recent Apartheid (segregation was the law). Why would they call their coffee with milk "white coffee." Interestingly, I haven't seen the term "white coffee" anywhere else. More specifically, I haven't seen it here in Mozambique. Random musings from this morning...

17 April, 2015 - Late Entry I can’t believe how long its been since I have blogged. I also cannot believe how long I have been in Mozambique now! It’s over 4 months, and the time has flown for sure. I do love being married. I am thoroughly enjoying this honeymoon phase of our marriage. Thankfully I am not naive to think that it will be this way all the time, but for now, I will just soak it up. Drew and I were just commenting on how things are just so much more difficult here than they should be, or than they are back home. Everything takes forever. Take, for example, cooking. Everything is from scratch, and takes more prep time than I ever imagined possible! I truly could spend all day in the kitchen! Thank goodness I don’t (sorry Drew). But since I have been here I have added significantly to my ability to cook (which was almost non-existent before). In fact, I have learned how to make tomato soup from actual tomatoes instead of a can, as well as various other tomato based substances such as several varieties of pasta sauce, a vegetable soup, and an Indian curry with a generous amount of tomatoes. I have accomplished crock-pot black and brown beans that are edible, and we eat Thai curry probably 2-3 times per week. One thing we were missing greatly here was tortillas for burritos. For both of us, in our single lives, we ate burritos as a staple. Myself, I would eat burritos probably 2x per week on a regular basis. Even every day for certain weeks! When we finally found tortillas in South Africa at about the 12th store we looked in, they were about a dollar a piece. Seriously? So I have also braved making my own tortillas. They have been edible, though not always round. And after about my 3rd batch, we found a Mexican restaurant in South Africa on one of our supply trips. As we were eating there, Drew said the most wonderful thing: “Your tortillas are better.” Those are beautiful words to a floundering cook. Other small examples of how things are just more difficult here... well, this is a silly one, but on my mind as I just did laundry today. To do laundry, I take all the laundry outside, to the back side of the house. Here we have a garden hose hooked up to our washer in the back hallway (yes, outside the house), and then another hose leading out for the drain. You see, there are no easy hookups for appliances and the water line is through about 10 inches of concrete. One must unplug the security lights (good thing I don’t do laundry at night anymore), plug in the washer, find the soap that has to be kept inside (otherwise the guards will use it up), load the washer, put in some soap, and start the washer. Its usually at this time that I realize I haven’t hooked up the water yet. So I follow the garden hose out to the faucet, connect the hose without getting sprayed, and turn it on. The washer then makes some awful noise as the air bubbles move through the hose and into the washer. This also means that I only have the “cold” setting available on my washer, though when the hose has been sitting in the sun, it is then only HOT. The above is just a small and seemingly fickle example of how things just take longer here. Everything is always just a little more difficult, taking many more steps to complete, and an unexpected amount of time. Truly I am blessed! I am blessed to have a washer! I walked down to the river by our house the other day and as I got closer I heard these loud snaps, like a gunshot. As I approached, I realized the sound was coming from the ladies washing their clothes in the river. They wet, scrub, then slap the wet clothes on a rock. Wow! It’s so loud! So interesting, and so labor intensive. I am truly blessed that laundry takes me almost no effort (in comparison) and my clothes are cleaner! The lady that works for us during the day taking care of the nursery, Victoria, said that there was a crocodile in that river, about 2 meters in length a couple of months ago that they killed. No thank you. I would not want to wash my clothes in that river. This is also the river that, a little downstream, closer to a larger town, there is a car wash in. You see, there is a nice bridge with a great flat part of the river and cars literally drive in the river (it’s shallow) and get a drive through car wash :) How fun! You see them there on most afternoons, but especially the weekend. It’s also a place where many people swim, and there are many children playing. Mind you, the crocodile sighting is miles away from this location... even still...only miles. Today while we were driving into town, there was a car that pulled out to pass. They barely were able to squeeze back in before a large semi zoomed past in the oncoming traffic. No one batted at eye. There was not horns blaring or people yelling. In the states this would have been an event that people talked about when they got home, saying “you wouldn’t believe what an idiot I saw on the road today! I thought I was going to witness a bad crash today!” Yet here, it’s just normal. And the thing is, if the car didn’t have quite enough space to pass, both the semi and the car being passed would have patiently accommodated his reckless behavior. People here are much more aware of their surroundings when they drive. Though there are plenty, it is truly amazing that there are not more accidents. A couple weekends ago we took a few friends through Kruger park. I do love that place. It is so wild and ever changing with such a large population of big game. We saw so many animals, and one of my favorites is watching an elephant crossing. There is a certain road that is along the river where the elephants like to hang out. Here, we have caught a couple of elephant herd crossings. It’s so entertaining to watch the elephants come up the hill from the river, and then across the road in front of you so close! The big ones have water lines showing you just how deep they went, and the little ones are all wet (they got covered!). Sometimes the juvenile boys are play fighting, and other times the mother elephant is shaking her head, flaring her ears, and trumpeting at you. You often hear the low grumble sound of an elephant off to the side, in a bush that you did not expect an elephant to be! I do love the elephants. I think that is my favorite part of Kruger. Also, this trip we saw giraffe that were swinging their heads at the others neck. It was like a battle of the necks, haha! Throat combat. I’m not sure what this means, but its quite funny to watch! It also looks quite painful getting hit in the neck like that. I am about to the point where I am starting to miss medicine. When I left Ardmore, I was burnt out, and needed a break. I have quite enjoyed my sabbatical. I am enjoying the newlywed life, I've learned some accounting, and lot about farming. I have gotten dirty, and realized that the red dirt that was in OK is here too, and it stains! Darn it. I have worn out my sandals and gotten a wonderful sandal tan, trained my dog, and learned some Portuguese. I also made my first video using iMovie! That was an adventure! Depending on how things go here in the next few months, I may try to get back into medicine. I met a pharmacist a few weeks ago and after I described my role in medicine in the states, she said that the equivalent is a “medical technician” here. This was a bit surprising to me, as a technician is almost the lowest paid person in medicine at home, and only runs the EKG machine, or moves patient’s back and forth from CT. But apparently, a medical technician here sees patient’s and prescribes medicine. She knows a dentist who recently went through all the paperwork to start working here through the Ministry of Education, so that will be a nice starting place. When I’m ready. :) For now, I’m enjoying helping Drew, being a wife, learning a new culture & language, and generally being as useful as I can.

Is that a Goat or a Baby?

"Is that a goat or a baby?" I asked the other evening as we were sorting tomatoes on the veranda. Victoria turned her ear, and stated it was a baby with a large smile on her face. It can be difficult to determine the difference and has become a running joke around here. I have tried recording this phenomenon as an audio clip, I'll attach one here to see if you can hear how confusing it can be