1st Road Trip to Mozambique

I recently took the opportunity to take my first long African road trip.

One of our mission partners who we have visited a number of times offered me the opportunity to go to their place for 10 days leaving Erin in South Africa! You can find them at  https://samministries.org/mozambique at their base in for 10 days. This trip would normally be a half day flight with a Mercy Air plane.

This time we travelled by car, a 3 day journey including two overnight stops with a friend who works at ASAM called Andy' who has made this trip many times. The first night we stayed in a very nice potting shed on a secure well-appointed site just outside Xai Xai. The second night we stayed in a lovely place on the beach at Vilankulos. Then on to the mission base.

Xia Xia 

The challenges on this sort of drive are; border crossing from South Africa to Mozambique, varying speed limits, (without signs) lots of police stops and speed traps, Narrow tarmac roads with lots of children waking to somewhere?, Tarmac with holes, no tarmac, sand road with holes and craters. 38 ton trucks on your side of the road, coming towards you. 

With Andy at Vilenkulos

Local taxi mini buses crammed, and then some more, with people, the pigs and goats on the roof. I asked is the pig dead, and Andy informs you like I'm stupid: "you're not allowed to transport dead pigs on the roof!"   
The trip to ASAM resulted in a mixture of work. I was asked to lead devotions each day of the second week. This is at 7:30 each morning with the farm staff and team. I had foolishly asked them what they would like me to talk about and we agreed the role of the prophets. It all worked well until Friday when we tried to understand what the role of a prophet is in Mozambique, which showed me how much I don’t know. This resulted in another addition to my list of musts. 

fitting water pump 

When I am king everyone must come to a third world country to share their faith. What I am learning is you have to think and reflect on all that you say. You cannot take for granted what you think you are communicating.

old sick electric motor 

I worked with Prosper to take the cylinder head of a Toyota Hilux (cracked head), replaced the starter motor on the Hino truck and then inspected it over the pit, so it was ready for transporting the lyches for export to Europe. Then it was down to the river to change one of the water irrigation pumps.

This is the mission truck that moves all the lyches to the market and many other jobs. Every chance in a shop near you. 

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Gudgeon Pin 

At some point in the week two guys arrived at the workshop on a motor bike, with a motor bike engine on their laps. They wanted the piston cut off. So instead I showed them how to take the gudgeon pin out and remove the piston without filling the sump with iron fillings. The success story required us doing the happy dance. 

Shannon and I planned our teaching for the pastors on counselling and abuse. It was a rewarding time getting to know the team better and building relationships. I was pleased that Prosper and I could share some of my not forgotten skills from the garage floor. 

The journey home required a complex series of flights to get me back to Mercy Air South Africa, Chimoio - Beira – Johannesburg – Nelspruit Kruger.  

But as always on travels in Africa you make new friends.