Return to Maputo

As many of you know, we have returned to Maputo after eight months of scheduled R and R in Indiana on a “working” sabbatical.  We were able to spend a good amount of time with family, friends, local church and new acquaintances revitalizing ourselves and hopefully others for the months and years to come. 

We want to offer a special thank you to our sending church, Harvest Community of Goshen, Indiana for hosting and continuing to support us, to our families for giving so generously of their love, time, garden produce and internet access, to World Relief for allowing us to take the time away and to many other groups like Family Foundations International, Le Rucher and Women of the Harvest who also ministered to us along the way.

As we left Indiana, we were carrying more luggage than we have every carried.  This was partly because we had brought more to the U.S. because we were going to be spending both warm and cold months there and also because of things given to us for others and things we wanted to take back. 

We started praying over our luggage situation at least a week before we arrived at the South Bend airport, asking God to help us get all the bags through without any hassle, loss or theft.  We even shrink-wrapped the soft bags with zippers to help deter opening them while in the Jo’burg airport overnight.  Our first experience of grace was with Delta, whose website said they allowed three free bags per Medallion member and their traveling companion.  This is how we packed, but on arrival were informed that for flights to Southern Africa, only two free bags per person were allowed.  What to do, since the extra bags were to be charged at $200 each and the value of the items was not that amount.  After I turned to discuss with Rachel, the desk agent said, “it is OK, we will allow it this time.  Thus, our bags went all the way through to Maputo without extra charges.

While we were looking for the bags in Maputo, I noted from a distance, that most of our bags were no longer wrapped.  However, all the locks were still on them and upon opening, nothing was taken. 

Our other concern was clearing immigration without our actual residency cards.  We had left Mozambique before they were printed and only had a letter permitting us to be outside of the country for more than 90 days and a receipt.  The immigration guy processing our passports did not know what to make of the letter, but he asked his neighbor who was also busy processing passports and he just said, “It’s OK.”  When the first passport was stamped, I knew the other was through too.

Our last point of grace was with the inspecting officials as we left the Maputo baggage area.  They wanted us to open 3-4 bags for inspection.  Our biggest concern was “hungry” officials, looking for additional cash and with the amount of bags, they certainly could suspect that we were not going to use all of the OTC meds that had been given for the orphanage for ourselves.  Their main interest was to find out about the pressure cooker, whole grains (to assist with Steve’s wheat allergy) and the broken glass from a picture frame (our only real loss).

Our friend and part-time housekeeper, Maria, was at the house to open the gates and give us hugs and squeals of joy and laughter like only she can do.  Another friend had left a basket full of goodies so that we didn't have to go out and buy food immediately. It was a great welcome back.

We spent the afternoon and evening unpacking bags, the storage closet and kitchen so we could at least eat on Sunday.  It will probably take us a week to get back to where the house seems put back together and we are sleeping normally through the night. It's good to be back!