Tuesday in Moçambique

Greetings from sunny Mozambique!
We all arrived safe and sound after 29 continuous hours of travel, most
of it confined to increasingly cramped airline seats. The longest leg,
from Atlanta to Johannesburg, lasted almost 17 hours, with a brief stop
at Cape Verde (Portuguese-speaking islands off the coast of Africa) to
refuel and pick up passengers. The trip went off without any significant
hitches, the customs and immigration people smiled and waved us
through, and we have been enjoying temperatures near 30 degrees
Celcius (80s to near 90F).
We have been greeted warmly and are already beginning to feel at
home, transitioning between the familiar west and the new and unusual
in Mozambique. After a delicious home-cooked meal (lasagna, garlic
bread, tossed salad and fresh fruit), and visiting with local Nazarene
pastors and seminary folk, we started turning in -- 40-50 hours after
waking up -- only to be awakened at 3am by a rip-roaring
thunderstorm. Thunder, lightning, wind and rain that ushered in cool,
refreshing air that provided comfortable sleeping weather for the rest of
the night.
Today has been spent easing into our new locale, taking a driving tour
of the city of Maputo -- a truly cosmopolitan city, combining African and
Portuguese customs and cultures along with the Dutch and British
influences of South Africa and a strong influence from India. Lunch
was at the seaside (well, the oceanside) at a beautiful outdoor
restaurant with tasty food, including pizza with tunafish topping, and a
pool for splashing in after eating.
Tonight, we have a birthday party for a Restrick family friend, a
backyard BBQ and an early evening (though early is a comparative
term when travelling with college students!)
We are all well and delighted to be here. We have already begun
taking pictures and making notes to tell you all the details when we
return home.
Peace and Grace,
Mary Lou Shea and the gang