1. Marriage is such a complicated and expensive and drawn-out process, which makes it the more unpopular choice.
Our host, Sybil, explained the whole marriage process to us. It’s a super long and drawn out process, making it an expensive occasion, especially with what a normal income consists of. Because of that, marriage, or at least traditional weddings are very uncommon. The more popular thing to do is to get the woman pregnant and then skip the wedding or not get married altogether.
2. Churches are made up of primarily women.
The church services that I went to were pretty much mostly women. When I asked Sybil about it, she didn’t seem to really have a good reason for the men to not be involved in the church. They just aren’t. So pray for the uprising of godly men and their presence in the church and leading their families.
3.The youth are going to change Mozambique.
The teenagers have such a hunger and desire for the Word and for prayer. In my three weeks I was there, I was able to participate in their fast & all-nighter of prayer for their school year. I also participated in their weekly Bible study of Romans, with the last week having Bible study every night. Plus they continue to show up at various times to the house to grow and talk and learn more about the Word. They don’t take it for granted. But allow it to be the driving force in their lives and in their future.
4.Dance parties break down barriers and provide so many laughs.
There were 4 little girls, under the age of 9, who were at the house quite a bit. So we got to play with them and get to know them a little. One of the days, we saw them dancing in the garage while we were eating lunch. So we for sure busted out some of our Taylor Swift and other dancing music and had ourselves a little dance party. So much fun and definitely a breaking down barrier activity with them.
5. Chicken feet aren’t too bad, just super crunchy.
I had the opportunity to try chicken feet. So I took it. I didn’t have much time to think about whether or not I was going to try it as it was shoved into my face a moment later. But I thought I would try everything that was presented to me. So I tried it. And it was crunchy. And not the worst thing ever. That was just one of the few new foods I got to try this past month. I’m looking forward to trying more throughout the next 10 months.
6. Mozambicans know how to pray.
And they pray without ceasing. Ever. It’s a beautiful sight to experience and be a part of. Whether it’s having a prayer meeting to pray specifically and only for rain on a Saturday morning, or a city wide church meeting, they are always praying. Definitely a challenge to my relationship with the Lord.
7. During birthday celebrations, the birthday boy or girl feeds guests each a bite of cake before actually serving the cake.
We were able to experience a birthday in the Mozambican culture. It was Tom’s, Sybil’s son, birthday while we were there. So we got to experience the gamut of party games and traditions. Not only is birthday cake served in a special way, but also birthday presents are presented by the individual with a silly song & dance. So fun and full of laughter.
8. Public transportation means stuffing at least 25 people in a 15 passenger van.
We didn’t have to use public transportation too often. Which I’m so thankful for. It is custom for the driver to wait until the van (15 passenger van taxi) is filled up. And just when you start to think you’re full and will be ready to leave, the people keep piling in. And then once you get on the road, the driver still stops and piles more people in. I think at one point we counted 27 people in the van. Luckily there were a few windows.
9. If you want a paint color, be ready to mix the color yourself with color tints.
Cans of paint don’t come tinted for you already. Instead, you can buy color tints and make the colors yourself. Now you may not be thinking that would be too bad, especially since I was an art major for some of the time in college. But it was definitely not an experience that I would like to repeat again any time soon. So thankful for the paint stores in the U.S.
10. Most children have only one parent living or live with relatives.
Because marriage is not a common thing, children often live with just one parent, if they’re lucky. But since half of the population is under the age of 18, many parents don’t survive to raise their children. So if parents pass away, they are raised by relatives. Or at least are sent to live with them. But that doesn’t mean that they get adequate care. Orphanages aren’t a thing in Mozambique. So many children are malnourished or left to fend for themselves. Pray for willing caregivers. And through being in Mozambique, I have come to witness and see for myself that the Lord really does care for the orphans in the world. Love that promise.
11. You need a PHD to drive.
My host Sybil told us one day that you needed a Phd to drive in Mozambique. We were really baffled by this at first. But then she proceeded to tell us it meant Pot Hole Dodger. We got quite a few laughs out of that one because it was truth. Roads and driving and speed limits are irrelevant. It was actually surprising to me that we didn’t actually see any accidents while we were there. Everyone drives their own way and has a mutual understanding of it I guess.
So that was just a few things from my month. As I’m sitting here at debrief in Malawi and thinking about this past month, it’s so difficult to wrap my mind around it all. So much happened. And it was only 3 weeks. I’m having a difficult time trying to articulate it all. I can’t even imagine how I’m going to feel after 11 months of this. So please, feel free to ask me questions as I go and please extend grace when I’m not sure what to say or how to explain it all.
I have a few days at Monkey Bay in Malawi before we head to our next ministry site which will be in Ntcheu Malawi. It’s definitely going to be different in Month 2, but I’m looking forward to all that the Lord has in store for us there too.
