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When we come back from places like Mozambique we love being questioned about our experiences and are often asked “Did you have a nice time?” But a  seemingly simple and common question provokes a conflict of emotions and becomes difficult to answer. But is there a more appropriate question to ask that is more open-ended? So now you are thinking it would be something like “What was Mozambique like this time?” …….. But no, this question isn’t any easier because how do we explain in a few words something that we don’t even understand ourselves? ………. So in your dejection you may now begin to think that it’s not worth asking because you just can’t get a straightforward answer from these confused and mixed up people. Now here’s a thought…. maybe this is the difficulty…by it’s nature a question demands an answer and in this case there really isn’t one?

Henrique is a diminutive man with a face that reveals his bone structure and a look in his eye that often carries a forlorn sadness that is a consequence of a life that has been cultivated in grinding poverty. His clothing is always ragged and sometimes eccentric. The last time he appeared on the landing outside the flat where we were staying I at first thought he’d had his hair bleached (which shows how slow I am because this would be an exceptional sight in Angoche). In truth he was wearing a fluffy bleached yellow sweatband, obviously discarded by a donor who realised this particular purchase did nothing to add to their glamour. Henrique is not a fashion guru and will generally adorn himself with whatever becomes available.

I like Henrique because he is gentle, persistent, unassuming and grateful even in the face of rejection. The day before we had visited his home in Inguri. His shack lies at the edge of some tidal wetlands that comprise a dark sticky mud, sprinkled with mango bushes. The hut is only about 1.6m high and comprises two small living spaces wrapped with sticks, mud and palm leaves. We had visited previously and find it a privilege to visit the home of this dignified and humble man. On this occasion we were there to pray for his wife, who sat on the floor, propped against one of the walls. With our rudimentary Portuguese we were able to establish that she had some sort of stomach problem, but not having an extensive medical vocabulary we were unable to establish if this was a child-birth problem or something to do with her digestion! She was appreciative of our prayers and gave us a gentle weak smile. They asked for some money but we were unsure of what was wrong and what to do, so on this occasion said that we were not able to help. So when Henrique arrived at our flat that day we were concerned as he was clearly very worried about his wife. The night before she’d lost a lot of blood and he had taken her to the hospital. This is no mean feat as he doesn’t even have a bicycle and it’s a good 45 minute walk for a fit person. Angoche has one ambulance but this is not used for emergency call outs, but rather to transfer patients to the main hospital 4 hours away in Nampula. The story at the hospital is that technically due to the funding from the World Health Organisation and pharmaceuticals supplied to Mozambique there should be sufficient supplies to meet the needs. The truth is that the drugs leaks out through the supply chain and then are resold through pharmacies who are prepared to buy cheap and sell expensive. So the predicament at the hospital is that if you need any drugs having them prescribed and written down on a piece of brown scrap paper only means that you know what you should have. In this case Henrique’s wife needed a drip and none were available without payment, so our response was obvious and swift, sending him away with about £10 to purchase what was needed. To put this in context I think that a good salary for a teacher is about £50 per month. Henrique is not a member of a fishing boat team, but has a friend with a very small boat so sometimes he gets the chance to go out with him to catch fish. I don’t really know how he survives……… if it was me in his predicament I don’t know how I would keep going….that phrase grinding poverty takes on a new clarity.

So what is the answer? At this moment I think it’s the wrong question. It may be valid and strategically correct to ask, but just now I realise that my Western magic wand has lost it’s sparkle. Our own economic crisis leaves me asking more questions about our values and way of life both on a national and also on an individual level. So just now I think that the question should be “What is your response Julian?” Fortunately God has begun to open my eyes to some of this, but it’s like a dim flicking light at the end of a tunnel. I read my daughter’s blog, speaking about what she does in the slums of Kabusi in Kampala, Uganda and learn from her example. I read my Bible as I prepare for this trip and am taken back to the letter Paul wrote to his friends in Corinth, demanding of them a better way. I recognise the importance of a daily faith which takes us on a journey to an eternal hope. The words “Without faith it’s impossible to please God” and “without hope a people perish”. But I remember Paul’s observation about the greatest gift, which is of course love. So the questions are am I a carrier of His love or just a consumer of His love? Didn’t someone say it’s better to give than to receive, so how come I got it the other way around? The penny is beginning to drop. It’s not about my answer but about my response. How do I respond in love? Do I sit in the dirt with my friends, do I cry with them and call out for a new justice and mercy, do I find myself privileged and ready to respond?

I want the story of Henrique and those like him to be told. I want my world to change and I want to be part of the answer. I’m grateful to people who can’t go to Mozambique but who make it possible for us to go and to give. I love the children of Ibstone school who listen to me tells the stories of the children of Tamole in Mozambique and building houses for widowed families. Their wide-eyed enthusiasm and generosity captures my heart. (They raised funds to build homes for 5 families). I want to say thank you for your responses. For your generosity which helps to sustain an agricultural project, provide housing and literacy programmes and also enables us to meet the immediate needs when we visit the Koti people of Angoche. Our Koti Journey continues and we hope to tell the stories and see lives changed, not just by monetary responses, but also by something deeper and more significant. Paul said that love endures all things, believes all things and hopes all things, love never fails. He knew that because of Jesus and how he had been rescued on so many times by a gracious God. I believe that your prayers change things, especially when they are focused on the right target. So thank you again for your generosity of heart, for your finances and prayer support… oh and for your questions. We can only apologise for our incoherent and complicated answers.

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