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Lent and Easter in Niassa

[Source: Helen Van Koevering, February 2006.]

We are coming into that very special time in our church’s calendar – Lent, the season when we are reminded of the depth of what Jesus, God’s Son, has done for us. But the view of Lent and Easter takes on a different focus when it is through the eyes of the extremely poor. Last week’s readings were concerned with fasting to seek God’s face. There has been a renewed interest in our diocese to teach the Catechism in a more theologically responsive way – beginning not with humanity, but with God, and letting the Catechism answer the questions of who God is, who I am, what is the journey of faith about, and what is our response in ministry and mission. In my church in Nsinje, a bairro of Lichinga, I spent time teaching about fasting, with Lent in mind, and I could see our church members nodding slowly in agreement. Afterwards, I commented on why Maria, a member of our MU, seemed unusually sombre – and someone else responded for her: “Hunger”.  The shortage of food around northern Mozambique this year has been startling. Though the current good rains promise better times next year, right now, in February, the towns are feeling the pinch and the cost of maize has skyrocketed from around 30 – 50,000 meticais to over 200,000 meticais for a ‘lata’ (roughly a third of a sack of maize).  Families are hungry.

Together with the MU, we visited the homes of two sick women – one an HIV+ and sick young woman, who wanted to make her confession, and the other an elderly lady with asthma, who is suffering with these heavy rains and lack of food. As we walked together, the women and I decided we would fast together on Ash Wednesday, and break it after the evening service with a meal of nsima together. Fasting in the midst of hunger for the basics takes on a different meaning to those places where folk will be fasting in the midst of abundance and dreaming of chocolate. The women told me it would help give a purpose to their lack of food on that day.  And we will celebrate Jesus with us on Wednesday….

Lisunga died at 4 am last Friday. She was just 20 years old and had suffered terribly in the past year, firstly with an entopic pregnancy and then with the overall loss of health, vitality and life that comes in the last stages of AIDS. She is the daughter of one of our clergy. Sickness and death seems to be all around us. Many adults will tell you it was never like this when they were younger, when children were shielded from funerals, when a funeral in your community meant you attended willingly as a cultural norm, but now becoming a dreadful burden for some because of its frequency and the suffering of the whole community as they provide food and help to the bereaved families. But when we visited Lisunga in hospital, she shared a small ‘special’ ward with three other women admitted with severe malaria. Malaria is affecting everyone far more frequently than even I recall from being here in the 1990’s. Lichinga’s hospital can diagnose the illness, but the medications are sometimes sparse, and children are dying. But the bravery and faith of the God-believing community we know has affected us profoundly – God is God through and with us all, and death is a real part of life. The suffering of Christ from the perspective of the poor who share it is so different to the view from those who have greater power to prevent ill health and premature loss….

The clergy conference last week brought inspiring snippets of news from our clergy, even if the issues of gender and age representation on PCC’s and diocesan bodies was unappreciated! The new deacon, Fineas, has worked hard in Pemba to bring enormous growth in less than a year – revitalized MU, reopened churches outside the city, catechism training and even the beginnings of their contribution to diocesan funds! Padre Luciano has reported the growth from 3 to 17 new congregations in Mecanhelas in the past 18 months; Eugenio looks older than his 26 years, but there is a glow in his eyes when he talks of his growing churches in Morrumbala, and of the support of his congregation in Quelimane, and of the 7 new congregations around Mocuba in the last few months which he now oversees too.

Growth coming from the poor’s hope in the Church, European theologians have called it. But there is far more than hope involved – these communities are organizing themselves into caring communities through the church, loving each other before they even realize that the Bible teaches love of our neighbours as God has loved us. It can only be the Spirit at work as in those early days. The church in Mongue, in the district of Milange, has a keen catechist, Albano, who is one of our 19 catechists in training for local priesthood. He has encouraged the church, with a tiny loan from the MU funds, to support the most needy amongst them. If we can see the face of Jesus reflected in the face of the poorest, then Jesus has been with them in Mongue in ways that have not happened through relief agencies during this time of hunger….

The farm land that belongs to the Anglican Church and our training centre, Kuchijinji, has seen some development in recent weeks, chiefly through the help of Pastor Amorim, a Mozambican Methodist minister, who is working with us in the area of training for two years practical experience connected to a course of study here. There is now cheaper accommodation for about 50 people in a wonderfully peaceful and spacious place not too far out of town – and our next local priesthood training will take place there, as well as a MU conference on working with children in June. We are again including the priest’ wives in the training, even though that will make the numbers up to about 60. Literacy training has taken on new strengths through the work of Jaime Samuel here in 20 centres on the planalto of Lichinga and beginning in Milange. Training is the crucial side to all that is happening, and provides a clearer view of a hopeful future….

As for our family, we are looking forward to Easter and time with our boys at home. They are doing well in Natal in South Africa, but it is so far away…. And in May, Mark’s mum is coming for a visit to Natal. We haven’t seen each other for 18 months. Parish links with various parishes around the diocese are bringing great excitement and encouragement. Visitors to the diocese are many during the dry season, but then so are the visits of Mark around the diocese. He has not broken his promise to visit annually, but it means he is barely in Lichinga for 6 months - and that we are thankful for the new (second-hand) car since the accident last July.

In fact, there is so much to be thankful for, even at the most tiring and discouraging of times, catching just glimpses of things through the eyes of the extreme poor’s perspective on blessing and journeying ….