LARRY VISITS MAPUTO 15 February 2015

A wonderful picture of all the missionaries from Mozambique-Swaziland (except Sister Castro Deus and I)  Taken at the church building in Matola.

An exciting time to be gathered together.  A visit from Elder Ellis and the creation of the FIRST STAKE  in Mozambique!  This was especially great for Larry because he was present in Argentina as a joven missionary when the first stake was created there.

The bus left Beira at 4 am and arrived at 10 pm in Maputo.  

This was the usual site at any stop for gas.  The local people surround the bus with their wares to sell.  These men have made pilhas (to crush corn and other seeds)

There were 44 elders, Larry and Elder Enos Castro Deus, the district presidency (Gil Huo [red], President Camalezine [yellow] and Freeman Dickie), and Joao Bueno who works in Beira and is the 2nd counselor in the mission presidency.  A bus full of priesthood.  

The return trip started out the same way, but was delayed several hours with a flat tire.  

The breakdown was near a school that was letting out and so the Elders has a fun time with all the children.  This is Elder Castro Deus.

Elder Finau is showing the children magic tricks.

Sonia and I decided that we would be extremely miserable traveling so far on the bus, motion sickness especially.  I knew that I had made the correct decision when Larry sent me a message saying that even he was feeling sick!  Because of the sun, the driver had the shades down so he couldn't see anything,  and was swerving around potholes and truck (Melissa can attest to this)s, besides texting and talking on his phone.  I would have been so sick and  I probably would have had to take the phone away and maybe even his driving privileges!  As you can see by the picture, he was going as fast as the bus would go.

It would have been even more uncomfortable with all these young men because there ARE NO rest stops along the way.   The bus stops alongside the road and everyone finds a bush or tree.  And IF the  service station has a toilet....the bush or tree is infinitely better.  So better for everyone involved that Sonia and I missed this trip.  We were sorry not to be included in the mission picture, but had a nice weekend being companions in Biera.

FINAL ZONE CONFERENCE IN BEIRA

This is our final Zone Conference in Mozambique.  The next one will be several weeks after we leave.  Elder and Sister Ellis (Area Presidency) were visiting for a special mission tour.  They spent 5 days here.  On the  last 2 days we were also visited by Bro and Sister Gibson ( General YM presidency) and Bro and Sis Callister ( General Sunday School presidency).  Larry and I used the mission van and furnished all the transportation needs (driving school bus again) for their stay.

Brother and Sister Gibson visited with a local family ( the Mautima's) from the Baixa branch, that had youth .  Larry was the translator and he did a very good job.

They have been members for several years, being married and baptized several months before we arrived here.

This is the hotel where they stayed. We are taking them to the airport for the trip home.  (L to R) Brother and Sister Gibson, Elder and Sister Ellis, Brother and Sister Callister and us.  It was a nice week for us.  Really fun because Elder Ellis went to Burley High with Larry and they vaguely remembered each other.  Elder Ellis was 1 year behind.

VISIT WITH NAMPULA AND QUELIMANE ELDERS

 This is the back entrance to the hospital in Nampula.  We walked around a little.  It seemed to be about the same as our hospital here in Beira,  maybe a little larger.

 Elder Carvalho and Elder Nhaquene  and us in the front of the Nampula hospital 

 We took them to the restaurant that Pres. Kretly suggested. It was on an upper floor and had a view of the city. It was very nice. We were the first customers of the night.  Mozambique has the Portugal influence and most people eat later in the evening. 

 I am with Elders Khumalu and Silva in front of the clinic in Quelimane.  It was a very nice clinic, we were pleased that they had this place to go to.  We also visited the hospital and I think it was much better than Nampula or Beira.

 There are no chappas in Quelimane.  Taxis or taxi bicycles.  And the road was full of bikes!!!

 View from the roadside.  This is corn.

We hoped that the bus would not fall over before we got around it.  Very typical view.

 We were at table outside as we ordered (this is Nampula) and a heavy rain started so we rushed inside.  Then all the power went off.  Fortunately the restaurant cooked on gas, so we ate by candlelight.  We were their only customers and they closed when we left.  It was a fun meal.  The rain continued for several hours that evening.

 In Quelimane we had no power at the restaurant, but it was not due to a storm.  The elders said that this is a daily occurrence for them.

 We are so impressed with the quality of these Elders.  Those who serve in the remote areas are on their own.  I have always felt bad that we can't get up to their area as see them regularly, but they are solid and very good missionaries.  We were so happy to have this opportunity to visit their areas.  Both sets of Elders (Nampula and Quelimane) live in apartments that are part of the church building.

VISIT TO CAIA, NAMPULA and LUAHA in JANUARY 2015

 You will see in the next few pictures that the drive north to Nampula was just beautiful.

 This began our journey outside of Dondo on  EN 1.  (This is a main road [1 of 2] to Marromeu)

 We drove about 300 kilometers on this road to reach Caia.

 As you can see, even when we had some oil. it was still 'off-roading'

 President and Sister Kretly visited with this group of villagers on Sunday morning.  They were such a happy group of people.

 It just poured rain as the meeting ended.  They all lined up in the shelter of the thatch overhang to see us off to Luaha.

 We crossed the Zambeze River.  The rains hadn't come heavy yet, but when they do this area is about 3 times larger.  The toll bridge was built by South Africa.

 This is the Luaha group.  They are a large family unit and have built themselves a nice meeting hut in the center of their village.  It was so much fun to be there.  They love President and Sister Kretly!

 Here I'm visiting with President Lucas.  He is the patriarch of the family.  He joined the church as a young man in Portugal.  All the members of his family married and were baptized two years ago and President Kretly created their group.

 Sister Kretly

 As we were leaving, President Lucas had 4 young men carry over a huge sack of corn.  They raise corn as their main food and income source. He gave it to President Kretly as their offering to the Church and President Monson.  What a sacrifice that is for them, they have so little and live such humble lives.  But they were so happy and wonderful to be with for 2 days.

They loved seeing my pictures of our family.  They were all impressed with our 7 children, spouses and grandchildren.  They were also impressed with the fact that we had been married for 46 years.  They liked that I wore a capulana and tied one on my head.

LAST CHRISTMAS IN MOZAMBIQUE 2014

This is most of our group of Elders here in the Beira district.  Wonderful group of hard working elders!!

 On Christmas Eve, they all came to our apartment for a party and some of them to call their families.  We are here in Elder and sister Castro Deus' apartment which is across the hall from us.  They have a larger area that is open.  Sonja and I furnished a baked potato bar, salad, rolls and chocolate cake and the elders brought soda.  It is quite a feat to feed 38 young men who eat to fill their shoes!  Before the meal we sang carols, learned the Mozambican National Anthem, read the Nativity and each took 1 minute to tell us their most special moment this year and small gift exchange.  It was very, very nice.

This is our apartment,  After dinner the elders from Manga, Dondo, Munhava and Inhamizua used all our electronics to Skype and call their families.   While companions waited for their turn, we watched movies (Christmas Story and Christmas Carol), played a fun and fast paced card game and visited.

On Christmas Day, the Palmeiras and Baixa elders came over and called their families ( they live much closer to us).  Larry made every elder a large cinnamon roll to enjoy after the phone calls.  The elders LOVED them and for many was that little taste of home (for the others it was a new taste).  It made for a very busy few days around our apartments.

 By the end of the evening, the chappas had quit running (they don't go to Dondo anyway) so the Castro Deus took the Manga elders in the mission van and we piled the rest into our Ford Ranger truck and drove the Munhava, Dondo and Inhamizua elders home.  It was quite the trip and in the states would have been really illegal!!  Here it is just another chappa ride.

The Snelson's left the mission for home about the 17th....we will miss them but are glad they could spend Christmas with their family.  We had a wonderful Christmas with the Castro Deus and the missionaries.  We will always treasure our memories from here.  Whenever I wear my African capulana that matches the one all the ladies from Inhamizua have I will remember Mozambique. 

We enjoyed our last Christmas in Mozambique.   Merry Christmas to one and all.