A Mixture

I thank my friend Kristy Quist for the quote she posted on Face Book yesterday, which so resonates with me today here in Lichinga.

"I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day." E.B. White

There is deep enjoyment for us here - in reconnecting with friends, in the flooding of fond memories, and in the beauty of this lush land in the middle of rainy season.

And then there's that desire, which inevitably comes with the territory, to change what's hard and impoverished and ugly about "here."

On Sunday we worshipped at the nearby Anglican church. Greg and I were introduced as special visitors and folks were told we had lived in Lichinga and that Greg had worked with the local construction co-operative. On Monday, four guys from the co-operative came to greet us and to reminisce with Greg about their work together. It was both delightful and sad.

They remembered together the challenges of obtaining needed supplies from distant places (especially over rain-tortured roads in the wet months), and the frustration of doing work and sometimes not getting paid. The co-operative was eventually bought out and the men received a payoff, which was good, but since have not found work.

After church on Sunday we went with some women from the church to visit and pray with the sick. As it turned out the person we were to visit had gone to Maputo for treatment so the women instead helped us find our way around town and to our old house.

Much has changed here. Cell phones are all the rage. This is mind boggling to us. You'll see a woman dressed in the traditional colorful capalanas worn here, carrying a container of corn on her head, a cell phone tucked into the strap of her blouse.

Much hasn't changed as well. The market is still filthy and a bit intimidating. The rainy season makes for muddy roads and piles of smelly garbage scattered throughout town.

One other interesting note about Sunday, as we headed into town crowds from the nearby villages filled the streets. Boys and girls from these villages had just returned from several weeks of training from the elders of their communities. The boys are taken into "the bush" and the girls into a place where the women teach them about their future responsibilities and place in the community. It was a raucous and lively celebration.

I am posting many pictures, including ones of this event. Using my iPad for blogging has created the challenge of not being able to write a caption under each picture. Sorry. I'll identify them on the list below.

Shalom to all!

1. The youth celebration
2. Fellow worshippers
3. The four men from the co-operative
4. The visiting women
5. A ride into town
6. Our old house in the background
7. Another photo of the initiation event