Back from Nampula

The first thing you notice once you step off the plane in Moçambique is the smell of smoke. The dry season is coming to a close. In anticipation of the upcoming rainy season, large and small plots of land alike are being cleared by traditional slash and burn techniques. So the smell of burning wood and brush constantly hangs in the air. A slight smoky haze obscures surrounding landscapes. Month after month of dry season contributes a fine mist of dust to the ever-present smoke to help paint bold colors on the horizon as the sun begins to set.



That was my first impression on my first visit to Nampula, Moçambique. The second thing I noticed, that greeted me every day of our visit and still sticks with me, is the constant presence of people wherever you go. On the road from the airport on our initial trip into town, pedestrians overflowed the sidewalks and makeshift market areas onto the streets and intersections. Driving through town meant navigating around foot traffic on the fringes of the roads, bicycles carrying entire families or loads of straw or charcoal, motorcycles weaving in and out of traffic, chapas (mini-buses the size of VW vans packed with 15 passengers) dropping off and picking up passengers at random, and huge trucks weighed down with goods and plenty of passengers standing on the beds or sprawled out on the loads. Walking through the center of town, people are everywhere. Some on in hurry, on their way to work or busy with appointments. Some are busy selling goods and doing their best to give you a bargain. Some are just there.




Of course, to Christians this huge mass of people isn’t just an obstacle or a spectacle. Each person is a soul, bought by the blood of Jesus Christ. Far from a typical tourist stop, Nampula is the future home of a new mission endeavor. Missionary Bill Meier and I just returned from a two week trip to our future home. We had a short stay. But hopefully it was an important step toward establishing a long-term outreach effort in the north of Moçambique.


Registration for the WELS’ latest official mission field was the goal that brought us to Nampula. Before the missionary families can begin to make arrangements for our move to Moçambique, we need visas from the government. Before we can apply for visas, we need to have our mission officially registered with the Moçambican government.


So we arrived in Nampula with stacks of documents and an appointment with the Department of Religious Affairs. On our first visit to the office, we list of required documents and a clearer idea of what it would take to successfully submit our registration. We received cooperation from friends in Malawi, Zambia, Portugal, and Milwaukee. We learned out way around town tracking down more information. In the end, after all our efforts, we were unable to submit our registration.

In the process, however, we were able to acquaint ourselves a little better with our future home. We learned about schools and investigated options for vehicles and houses. We were able to meet new people and make some valuable contacts.

Our trip served as a good introduction to life in Nampula. And we pray that we will be able to submit the registration soon. But until we hear news from the Moçambican government we will be continuing our studies here in Portugal.



Prayers: Thank God for safe travels for Bill and Jeff to and from Nampula. Pray for safe travels for both families traveling to the WELS retreat in Germany this week. We ask that Bill’s health continues to improve as he recovers from (another) bout with malaria. Pray that God will bless the efforts of those working with us to register the mission in Moçambique. Thank God for the opportunities we have here in Porto to continue our language training.

Thanks for all your prayers and support!