2018 NYAC VIM Mozambique: The Rough, the Smooth, The Comforting

Monday, April 23

Annette Griffith of Evergreen United Methodist Church, writes:

The day began with a morning safari at Gorongosa National Park where we saw many dear like animals, baboons, wart hogs, and lots of birds.  We searched for elephants but we did not see any.

Then back to the pot hole road to go to Chimoio.  The difficult road lasted about 1.5 hours and then we were on the smooth road again.  This trip we noticed lots of construction with the use of large equipment.  Hopefully that means the economy is improving.  There were many more new buildings however, the back roads and side road markets looked the same.  There is hope but also much work to be done.

We arrived in Chimoio and were greeted by Rev. Torres and his family.   Torres' daughter delighted us with a home cooked meal before we headed to the shops to buy food for tomorrow and the materials that team member Cynthia needs for the cooking project she has planned for Tuesday.

There is no internet at our lodging so the message will come a little late.

Peace,

Annette

2018 NYAC VIM Mozambique: Worship of God, Praise for God's Creation

Sunday, April 22
Pastor Alex da Silva Souto, New Milford UMC, writes:

Sunday is the day of the LORD so we got up very early, packed the car and headed back to the Dondo church for worship celebration.


The road from Dondo to Gorongoza has some really challenging stretches… but riding in an air conditioned vehicle is nothing to complain about… especially compared to so many people walking  for long distance and many doing it bare foot.


We got to Gorongoza just in time to go on a visit of a special part of this nature sanctuary.  We spotted lots of baboons, impalas, waterbucks, owls, and some lovely zebras.
We had an early dinner and early night so we can be up by a 6am visit to the flood plains in another part of the park.

God's creation is really amazing!

2018 NYAV VIM Mozambique: Progress in Leaving Perfection to God

Friday, April 20, 2018
Cynthia Johnson, of South Floral Park UMC, writes:

Wow it’s day five, another beautiful day in Mozambique.

Our day started with breakfast where we gave thanks for the loving care lavished on us by our wonderful hospitality team who prepare the most delicious food for us. Today we got to the moment when they recognized that we wanted to eat what they eat.

We had our second meeting with the Bishop's Assistant Rev. Jacob Jenhuro this morning. It was a very productive meeting. The discussion was candid and illuminating. We gained additional insight into thinking that informs their planning process. While the Episcopal Center construction project seems to rival the building of Noah’s ark it is in alignment with their long range plans. This Episcopal Center was conceived in anticipation of the assignment of a Bishop for the North Conference. They expect this to be a reality in 2020.

The construction project has been plagued by a number of problems which resulted in delays and increased construction costs. This led to the recognition that a new engineering assessment was necessary. This was done and they have engaged the same engineer that is supervising the construction of the Beira Central church and the Dondo Orphanage project. Completion of the building is a priority and a renewed effort is being put into making this happen.  Long range plans include a another building to be constructed on the second lot.

In this meeting we also reviewed and clarified expectations relating to communication and reporting issues we experienced in the past. We could not have done this without the language skills and other hidden talents of Pastor Alex.

Our next stop was food shopping at ShopRite supermarket but that experience could not match our trip to the open market where we shopped like Mozambicans. We were so involved in our shopping that we missed the best shot of the trip. There was a man walking with a chicken poking its head out of a plastic bag. None of us had our camera for that shot.

We visited the English School this afternoon and observed a class in session. This confirmed the need for resources. We delivered assessment and workbooks in addition to a tablet to the teacher. We also provided money for ink, paper and money to help with the transportation expenses for the teacher courtesy of donors who supported our mission trip.