Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Some Weeks on the Road
It all began a couple of weeks ago when I was offered the opportunity to travel to the south of Mozambique. It was a complex set of errands, needing to drop off a vehicle for a coworker, help another get a different one, get some supplies, get to know the country better and many more little things. Along the way, there were several disappointments, and several unplanned blessings.
It all started at four in the morning on a Monday, when I loaded into a small double cab pickup with four other people and a backed filled with things to be delivered(when one makes a trip from the north to the South, it is usually filled by request and obligation). Groggy from the early start and stuffed in the back, I tried to get some sleep. This was really hard. The highway is under construction, and the detours are very long and bumpy. I was glad to wake up as the sun rose over the valleys that introduce the Zambezi Province. It was beautiful. It was quite the adventure as one of the Mozambican passengers counted stories for most of the day about how he survived the civil war by leaving the country and returned after the hostilities ended. It was a very long day, despite the good stories, and we just made it in time to catch the last ferry across the Zambezi River at 5:30 pm. Our driver and field director wanted to press on in order to arrive in Maputo the capital city in time to try and get some business done on the first day, so he drove through the night. Needless to say, the legs were cramped when the journey finally ended.
We were disappointed to find that the vehicle we thought was ready for pickup was not the vehicle that we were expecting. That disappointment was assuaged by the chance to meet some Mozambican pastors and leaders in Maputo. In fact, along with the two other missionary guys, I was able to speak to a student assembly in a seminary in Maputo. The fellowship time afterwards was good. Everything ran different than planned (imagine that), and one week later than planned, we headed home with one less vehicle than planned.
The trip home was an entirely different adventure. That will have to wait for the next time.
Praise that I finally received my permanent resident papers.
Praise for safety.
Praise for the good fellowship.
Pray for focus in the next several months of preparation.
Pray that the Mozambique field would have wisdom in allocating its new personnel (lots of us arrived in the last few months).
It all started at four in the morning on a Monday, when I loaded into a small double cab pickup with four other people and a backed filled with things to be delivered(when one makes a trip from the north to the South, it is usually filled by request and obligation). Groggy from the early start and stuffed in the back, I tried to get some sleep. This was really hard. The highway is under construction, and the detours are very long and bumpy. I was glad to wake up as the sun rose over the valleys that introduce the Zambezi Province. It was beautiful. It was quite the adventure as one of the Mozambican passengers counted stories for most of the day about how he survived the civil war by leaving the country and returned after the hostilities ended. It was a very long day, despite the good stories, and we just made it in time to catch the last ferry across the Zambezi River at 5:30 pm. Our driver and field director wanted to press on in order to arrive in Maputo the capital city in time to try and get some business done on the first day, so he drove through the night. Needless to say, the legs were cramped when the journey finally ended.
We were disappointed to find that the vehicle we thought was ready for pickup was not the vehicle that we were expecting. That disappointment was assuaged by the chance to meet some Mozambican pastors and leaders in Maputo. In fact, along with the two other missionary guys, I was able to speak to a student assembly in a seminary in Maputo. The fellowship time afterwards was good. Everything ran different than planned (imagine that), and one week later than planned, we headed home with one less vehicle than planned.
The trip home was an entirely different adventure. That will have to wait for the next time.
Praise that I finally received my permanent resident papers.
Praise for safety.
Praise for the good fellowship.
Pray for focus in the next several months of preparation.
Pray that the Mozambique field would have wisdom in allocating its new personnel (lots of us arrived in the last few months).
