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You've heard the expression about not burning any bridges?

This photo is of a bridge we encountered driving in the north. This is the main road going to Gurue. There is no easy way around this bridge. We think a large truck had hit the bridge on one side, completely pushing it over and the supporting concrete pillar holding up the bridge on one side.

So the question is - do you cross the bridge or not?

As we sat there debating this, I watched a small truck full of people pull up. They built the little ramp you see with rocks and sticks. The 30 or so people in the back of the truck walked across the bridge. The small truck then went over the bridge while I carefully examined the understructure as it went across. I knew that we weighed more than the truck by quite a bit. Mmmmmm..... So time to pray.

I'm happy to report that this photo is looking back at the bridge after I crossed it (making everyone else in the car walk across). The four wheel drive came in quite handy as there was quite an angle in the bridge - it is buckled in the middle with quite a climb up.

We've seen this before - and I imagine the fix will be to simply put another metal bridge over the top of it - with us driving up a steep ramp and then across single file over the bridge on a bridge. We crossed several of those on this trip.

I thought all my engineer friends would enjoy the photo!

My guess is that the bridge has collapsed now - several days later. There is certainly no need to fix it until it collapses!

I'll write more about the trip in the coming days as we digest everything that happened. Mozambique is an amazing country and the distances are vast. We drove dawn to dusk (about 12 hours) for three days to reach the northern provinces. Most of the roads were fairly decent but the ones that were bad were really really bad. The car took a beating and we had one blow-out - badly shredding the tire and we cut another one crossing the bridge above. I had carried an extra spare tire (no rim) and got it mounted at the ferry. You can see them working on it in this photo. They pounded the old tire off with a sledge hammer and a metal wedge - mounted the other one I was carrying - in about 15 minutes. Quicker than at NTW.

It's good to be home (4998 kilometers later) but we really wished we could have spent more time in the Gurue area and we will take more time when we are back in Nampula for the January ECC retreat. The needs we encountered were tremendous but I need to save that for another entry. I have much to write about and may put it in the form of an article for the OMS magazine. God is doing amazing things throughout this country but the needs are just astounding.

"He turned the sea into dry land; They went through the river on foot. There we will rejoice in Him." Ps 66:6