As I got up I was aware that this was my final day in Mozambique. I wanted to make the most of the day and wanted to make sure I didn't miss out on any opportunities.
I put on my nice skirt and top and headed to church. This Sunday there was a lot of dancing and singing, and I sat next to some children who had come in from the Bocaria. The base sends a bus to the area each Sunday to bring those who want to come to the service. The children were radiant with joy, and it really blessed my heart to interact with them. I danced with the one next to me, and even if I don't know if they understand Portuguese, we communicated. What a privilege to get to share the worship time with them. Before the sermon those who were leaving were invited up to the front, and they laid a capulana (skirt fabric) over our shoulders and prayed for us. I had some very eager 4-8 year olds come crashing into me to pray, and it was such a lovely moment. After that my friend Melissa preached, and we got to pray for people and it turned into such a great service of getting to pour into those who live here; those who make up this nation, and ultimately those who are part of carrying hope and being the future of this nation.
As I was leaving the service I was hugging and connecting with people, and saw the lady who had helped me with my capulana in the Bocaria. We chatted a little and I asked if we could take a photo together. She then asked if I wanted a picture of her and her daughter, and I got to meet her daughter who is 25 and disabled and in a wheelchair and very weak. I said it would be a pleasure to do so. As we chatted some more she shared that she was 50 and had her daughter when she was 25. She has no other children. Having seen the reality of where she lives, and knowing that this nation is a completely different story to the resources available to those with disabled children in Norway, I knew her life had huge challenges. I hugged her, and I could tell that to her her daughter is a blessing and not a burden, and that her love for her is indescribable. She is such a strong woman with a strong faith, who not only deals with the challenges of now caring for a disabled adult, but who is also a key person in the church in the Bocaria, and someone who serves and pours out to others. I felt great admiration for her, and it really put my life and my challenges into great perspective.
At lunch time I sat with the girls eating rice and beans. It was a fun time and one little girl who is around 8 or 9 was eating and eating and eating. I am sure this tiny girl ate 2 or 3 plates of food, and there seemed to be no end to her capacity to eat. She is a really tough girl who won't be messed with, and so I sat with her and tried to interact. I remembered how some of the street kids in Fortaleza would do the same thing: eat like there would be no more meals. And I wondered what this girl's story was. Here she gets 3 good meals a day, but if she's not been her long, she might still be in survival mode of eating as much as she can when there is food, in case the next meal is far off and not only a few hours away. I don't know her story, but I can see her potential. I can see how her tenacity and ability to survive has made her a fighter, and I pray that as she grows secure in who she is, and feels safe where she is, that the gifts she has can be used to make her a great leader and pioneer some day. As we left lunch she held my hand and I felt like for a short moment that maybe I had been able to bring across to her a sense of safety.
With a pack of paper plane paper we headed up to the 8-16 year olds' dorm. We piled into the yellow class room, and as we opened the packet realized that paper planes can be quite a complicated task. There were papers to fold a whole array of planes, and after a while I figured out somewhat how to follow the instructions, which promptly led to all the boys wanting me to fold their paper into a plane. It was a great time of interacting with them and spending time with them. Quite a few of them boys I have come to know a little bit in the week I've been here.
The evening was spent packing and having a lovely worship and prayer time with the missionaries we'd connected the most with. It was a great last day to prepare for the next step of my African adventure. Leaving Mozambique simply means I am halfway through my time, yet it feels like it's been so much longer as the days have been so full.