Today I visited the mother church (in Nampula, of course) of the Baptist Union of Mozambique, one of the biggest denominations in the country. It made me think that perhaps I should reconsider making arrangements directly with a pastor again, or else just make sure we understand each other very well, because this pastor couldn’t just see it as a friendly visit, he seemed to expect more from me than just a short introduction to myself and my work - I didn’t go there to “speak about Editora Fiel”! It could also have something to do with the fact that the church isn’t as “geared” towards visitors as many of the others I’ve been to.
I was a little nervous of finding the place, especially when I had gotten off where some friends had told me to, which was by a roadside market, and got that feeling, that I never really get in the city anymore, of “I am the ONLY white person here!” I walked up the road, saw the rice factory (my roadmarker) and knew I had to be close. When I did find the church about a minute later I was very warmly welcomed by some of the ladies in the church, which I was very grateful for - usually I would just be sticking to whichever missionaries I had come with. The sermon was good, by a pastor from Alto Molocue whose name I recognise as being on the book programme, he spoke on seeking God instead of what the world has to offer. There was a lot of singing, by amongst others the Sunday school, hence the picture. After the service, 3 or 4 of the ladies showed me around their grounds (they’re doing quite extensive construction) and, to my surprise, even invited me to a light meal! This had never happened before, and I really wasn’t expecting to be treated like some honoured guest. But they were very sweet and, for Mozambican ladies, very chatty!
I was glad I was feeling well enough to go this morning, otherwise there would have been the bother of rescheduling. On Thursday I started with a cold, felt really miserable on Friday (and spent a wonderful day resting), yesterday I was feeling a lot better and actually got a bit tired of my own company, and today I feel worse again. However, knowing that finally so much of the work that had dragged out over the last few weeks is done, puts me in a much better mood than I’ve recently been in, cold or no cold!
