Have you ever been to a place that was so surprisingly fascinating to you, that you felt like you yourself made the discovery that this place existed in the world and no one else had a clue it was there? Well that place for me was Mozambique. I had my own ideas about what it might be like, but the reality of it was no where close to my images. SO cool!!!! Ok, so as soon as we passed the border, I noticed right away there were no roads. Well, there were roads... that were made of sand. Thick, get-stuck sand. Only 4x4 vehicles venture into Mozambique (unless you are nuts and think you will make it with anything else). Only sand roads take you to places in Moz. You say, where is the main road? Well, you happen to be on it bumping along, fish-tailing and what not, all the while wondering where the heck you are going- there are no signs. That place was a dirt-biker/off-road junkie's dream.
We went to stay with Nic and his wife, Claire, and their two sons, Chris and Tim. I had such a relaxing and peaceful time with them all! Not to mention, we had a blast on the beach and just had such enjoyable conversations. They have a great place right on the beach and for some reason, whenever I sit in front of an ocean, it is an immediate reaction for me to greet God. Just imagine an African ocean! They live in a little town called Pontaduoro, and is such an awesome little place. Turns out, it is quite a vacation place for some people. I also found out when I got there, that it is a Portuguese-speaking country. How crazy to see signs that resemble Spanish in Africa! Anyways, the town had some neat little restaurants, shops, and houses. The architecture of houses was amazing because of the Portuguese influence. Unlike SA, it was completely safe for us to walk down the roads at night and not have to worry about a thing. Yesterday, we went to visit an orphanage ran by a lady named Annette, which was about 30 minutes away. There we got some awesome Christmas cards and saw what her orphanage was about. People like that truly amaze me and how loyal they are to God's calling. She gives her life for these children, and I imagine rarely has time for just herself. I just got the feel, in the short time we were there, that she was extremely gentle, but had a great and fun-loving personality.
I was so lucky to get to spend some time on the beach and experience the beautiful surroundings of mountains, oceans, and a lovely blend of culture all in one place. I realized that I could totally live in a place like that! The easy going, free-flowing attitudes of the people make me smile.
Unfortunately, we will have to wait until next Sunday before the kids get to do their Shackles dance. Jabulani decided to meet with the church today about a serious situation that has been taking place here recently. The reality of things is, it isn't always roses. It always isn't hands raised-hugging-people coming to Christ-people sharing God's love-situations. There are bad things that take place here as well. It is important for us to see that though. That is life- Africa, America, or wherever; we will always experience adversity in some form or fashion. So, before we left Nic's we had a nice little worship service at his house. Now I feel so rejuvenated and just clean-feeling! Not the kind of clean feeling a shower can give you, though! :-)
Well, Bridgette is coming to Hluhluwe tomorrow and I am SOOOOO excited to see her! I have missed her a lot since we parted ways in Durban along with the Mission church group. She is one of those people who can put a smile on your face without even saying anything to you, necessarily. I think she must have one of those infectious personalities. I am pretty sure she is one of easiest people to converse with as well. She is just lovely. Well, I am off to bed. Those Mozambiquan waves have lulled me into a lazy/tired feeling mood. Til' next time!
No comments:
Post a Comment