I woke up at 8:00 am. We weren't leaving until 9:40 am, so I was able to take my time eating breakfast and getting ready. During this time I got to meet Hasse and Sonia. Hasse is originally from Sweden and Sonia is Mozambican. They met in Portugal and then got married in Sweden.
Christina and I walked to her church, Primeira Igreja Baptista Renovada Em Maputo. Baptista Renovada is a Portuguese-speaking church that the Perssons have been helping with leadership training. We arrived early so we could get seats inside where I would be able to see the PowerPoint for worship. The service here was different than the one at Mascarenha in Beira. It was distinctly Mozambican, but stylistically was closer to a modern Western service.
Most of the service was in Portuguese with someone translating it into English. I found the singing fascinating. It was very lively and with the words on the screen, I was able to understand some of what was being sung with the help of Christina. The real treat for me was when they sang This Is The Air I Breathe in Portuguese. I was able to sing along in English. It really helped me to worship in the midst of everything new around me.
During the singing, it became unbearably hot since everyone was crammed in the building dancing and moving around. I felt like I was going to pass out, but fortunately, they turned on the air conditioners and the temperature dropped to a less uncomfortable temperature.
After the worship team was done playing, the pastor (a Mozambican woman) did a baby dedication. It was funny because she apparently called out the husband, a member at the church, for not attending more often.
Next, Hasse preached the sermon. He preached in English and someone translated it into Portuguese. The sermon was on the power of prayer. It dragged on a little bit, but it was still good. The service ended around 12:30 pm.
After church, we headed back to Christina's house to change. As we were heading out the door to go to lunch, we were met by two Swedes coming in the door. We learned that Niklas and Linnea, a young married couple in their earlier 20s, would also be staying in the house while they were in they from Vilanculos (pron. "vil-lahn-coo-loosh").
For lunch, Christina and I met some of her friends at Mundo's, one of the restaurants near where she lives. When we arrived, her friends, Katie and Judith, were waiting for us. Katie works for MCC and was interested to learn that I knew Melanie and the Newcomers (cue the It's a Small World music). Melanie would actually be in Maputo later in the evening but was only staying for a short while. Judith left to pick up another one of their friends who worked for the World Bank. Lunch was probably better than I thought it was, but I had been spoiled so far on my trip.
After lunch Christina gave me a tour of Maputo. Our first stop was a soccer field where some of the guys from church were playing in a league against another church. I've always enjoyed soccer and it was a lot of fun watching this game. And, as an added bonus, our team won 2-0!
Next we walked towards the ocean. We talked about our individual journeys to missions and our future plans. Christina had applied to a couple of different missions organizations in Southern Africa. The one she was really hoping for was with MCC in the country of Lesotho (pron. "le-soo-too"), a small enclave inside of South Africa. It was a 3-year position working with families suffering from HIV and AIDS.
We walked along the ridge overlooking the ocean. When we got to the end of the Jardin dos Namorados, one of the larger parks in Maputo, we turned around and headed back to her house.
Later that evening, we joined Niklas and Linnea to go get ice cream. On the way we stopped at a mall to find an energy drink for Niklas. He was going to Mikael's later that night to watch an NHL game. One of the players was making his NHL debut for the Nashville Predators and the game was airing at 1:30 am Maputo time. When we stopped at the ice cream place, I only got a single scoop cone since I was still full from lunch.
We finished eating our ice cream and headed back to the house. There we tried playing Mad Gabs, but we learned after a few minutes that this was next to impossible for the Swedes since many were American pop culture topics. Christina also Skyped with her dad, Paul. I talked with Paul a little too and let him know that his daughter was treating me alright.
One of Christina's friends came over and we talked with him for a while. He was able to point out on a map where Masana (pron. "mah-sah-nah"), the organization Christina and I were going to the next morning, was at in the city. He stayed a little longer while his phone charged before leaving.
Christina and I talked some more. She was curious to hear how my trip was affecting my future in missions. I told her that this trip had really been an affirmation that I was supposed to be doing missions. She asked if I felt I was being called to a job in administration like I currently was, or if I felt like I was being called to serve overseas. I wasn't sure so I said so, but that this trip had really given me the sense that I could if God wanted me to.
She followed by asking which region God might be calling me to. I said I was open to serving wherever, but I have always had a passion for Southern Africa and never knew why. She was very excited to hear this. Our conversation was also interrupted numerous times by her giggling and saying, "Sam Williams is in my house in Maputo!" She was very excited I was there, but it was weird to her because I "was out of my context".
We also talked some more about Lesotho. I said that if she got the job I'd have to make the trip to visit her there. This part of the conversation was eerily reminiscent of the ones we had prior to her leaving for Mozambique, and we all know how that turned out!
Our talk lasted until around 12:30 am when we realized how late it was and went to bed.
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