Settling in

We have completed our move and are settling into our house here. It is lusciously quiet. Over the past week, we’ve planted a number of flowers, bushes and trees in our yard. Joél putters around the yard as much as he can: planting, arranging, and making pathways. We’ve enjoyed being able to run errands that we would normally have scheduled a day to come to Chimoio and be home in time for lunch. The other evening we walked to friends’ house for supper.

Now the challenge is to find friends. We live close to a number of people from our Bible study. The other day, we discovered that our next door neighbor is one of the women in the CCM Women’s group. It’s nice to know we have good neighbors. We continue to pray that we will find places to be in relationship with Mozambicans. Perhaps church.

Yesterday we visited the Catholic Church. I have never seen a Catholic church so full. We arrived at 8:45, thinking it would begin at 9 AM, but the first service was still going and people were standing outside. We returned at 9:30 for the 10:00 service and the sanctuary was half full. A few minutes later, a nun stood up and talked with the people present about Lent, what it is, how it is 40 days of preparation for Easter, how it is a time of sacrifice and the role of fasting during Lent. The church continued to fill to the point that Joél whispered to me, “It’s like we’re in a chapa!” Suddenly the service began and people started singing. We didn’t recognize the songs but most people in the congregation knew them. It’s amazing to me every time I visit a Catholic church how people know all the liturgies and creeds to be able to repeat them along with the worship leaders. I also wonder if they think about what they say as they recite them together. There are some powerful truths in the creeds. The service ended close to 11:30 and we walked home.

I don’t remember the last time we were at home and got home from church at 12:00. The Mennonite church in Gondola usually didn’t start until 11 or 11:30 because that was when people showed up. It felt miraculous to have a whole Sunday afternoon to do Sunday afternoon things—nap, read, take a walk.

And so we begin our to settle in.