Mozambique - Beira

Then is was time to fly to Beira for some more training.  Chuck had

served as a counselor in the Mozambique Mission Presidency when we

were serving in Angola, but we had never set foot in the country.  We

finally had a chance to see what Mozambique was like.

We instantly loved Beira and the people.  We felt right at home.  Maybe

because it reminded us so much of Angola.

The Beira Stake Center is big and modern.

We had time to accompany Sister Koch on a tour of

missionary flats.  There were 8 companionships living in this area.

They'd had to move them because of safety issues, and these 16

Elders all lived very close to each other.  Boy did it remind us

of the fun times we had in Portugal and Angola.

Along the road they were selling mosquito nets.

One woman was sweeping the dirt to keep the area looking nice.

We passed by the Grand Hotel.  Back in 1975 when the Portuguese left Mozambique, they left quickly but also destroyed a few things before they left.  One of these was the Grand Hotel.  

Squatters came in at once to the hotel to take up quarters, even though there was

no water or electricity.

With so many people living in and around the Grand Hotel, the water line is

a place to meet and talk and get the much needed water for their lives.

Water lines are a fact of life in the villages.

Another church building about a half hour drive from Beira is so beautiful

and serene.

The young Elder in the middle was a new convert when we were

serving in Angola.  It was nice to see him out on a mission.

That afternoon we had a training.  We were delighted to see 3 of our former

Angolan missionaries in attendance.  Elder Sande and Elder Manuel live near

Beira, but Elder Bene had come all the way from Morremeu. It was a mini

Angola reunion.

The next day was the Beira Stake Conference.  The main room was full and

the other rooms were filled to capacity as well.

How grateful we are to the Kochs for their kindness and their

good work in the Mozambique Maputo Mission.

Picture time with our missionaries - Elder Sande, Elder Bene with his wife

and son, Elder Manuel, and Elder Guente, who showed up on Sunday.

What a joy to be with these wonderful Angolan missionaries again.

Thanks to the Wilkins, the couple serving in Beira, for their driving skills

and their wonderful Sunday dinner.  

Elder and Sister Wilkins drove us to the airport which seemed a bit

empty.  We were the only passengers in the whole place that would be

flying that afternoon.

We had the place all to ourselves.

The plane finally arrived for a gas stop, coming from Madagascar.  We got on

to find the plane full of tan, casual tourists that had been on holiday

in Madagascar and were returning home to South Africa.  We felt

a bit out of place.  We are glad that we got to go to Mozambique!

Mozambique - Maputo

Elder Ellis asked us to go to Mozambique and do some training that they had

requested and we gladly obliged.  President and Sister Koch picked us up and 

drove us to the beautiful mission home - a condominium that overlooks the 

Indian Ocean.

We got a peek at the infamous transfer board.  But they do not use

this one anymore because it is all done online now.

Lunch at the beautiful old Pamona Hotel.

The Koch's were gracious hosts and showed us all over Maputo.

The Pamona Hotel pool was inviting.

A drive all over downtown to show us the sights.  Maputo is a

modern, nice city.

Late afternoon pickup of school kids as they make their way home

for dinner.

The taxis can get very full.  Some of the riders had to stand inside

just to make room for all the people.

Our training group in Maputo.  This was a powerful group of priesthood

leaders.  Chuck helped them with mapping of their members,

and I helped them understand the missionary applications.

Royal Natal Park

A two hour drive from Clarens is Royal Natal Park.  First stop was the ranger station 

to check out what hikes we had time for.

A short easy hike to the Cascades was first on the agenda.

The hike was easy but the scenery was stunning.

Not too much water right now, but it was still beautiful.

There were kids playing in the pools and enjoying the cool water.

I guess these waters are free of crocodiles.

Our travel group consists of the Jubbers (Area Medical Adviser), the 

Grafs (Legal and Liahona expert), the Lombardis (Church History) and us.

The hike continued up to this mountain, but we had another hike

we wanted to do, so we turned back.

Beautiful and green mountains.

The other hike we wanted to do was a long trail to what they call

the Ampitheater, a beautiful mesa with waterfalls spilling over the top.

We knew we didn't have time to make the top of the Ampitheater,

but we kept up a good clip just to get some good views.

That is the top of the Ampitheater, but it was shrouded in clouds.

Elder Jubber kept up with us for the views.

These women were selling their craft items, so Sister Lombardi and 

I bought straw hats that they had made.

We stopped to see the bushmen paintings.  We didn't realize that

this was another long hike just to get to the cliffs.

The guide showed us the paintings and described how they were done.

He said there are many drawings throughout the park, but they do not

advertise where they are so that vandals will not ruin them.  You have

to keep a sharp eye out for them as you hike.

While hiking down from the paintings we got a wonderful

view of the Ampitheater as the clouds lifted and the sun shown down.

Across the valley was a small mountain village.

Luckily the clouds held off until we were safely back to our B&B 

in Clarens.