Cultural Challenges

Previously I've written about baby Ana, shown here with her mom when she came to visit us at our home this week. Mother and daughter are visiting family in Maputo while father continues the work in Nampula. Since the baby is named for Ann, that brings with it implied cultural responsibilities we are continuing to learn about.

The meeting was scheduled to be at our place as Mom had something very important to talk with us about - so important we had to be in a private place. However, we also got an earful from Ana's grandmother when we picked them up, so we had an inkling of what it was about. The evening was lovely as we talked around and around and around the issue, until we finally figured out what the problem really was. We have sinced learned that many many people know about this problem.

Well, it turns out that our dear friend's reed house in Khongolote was put on the wrong parcel of property many years ago. We couldn't get an answer as to how this happened but it's really not relevent to the story anyway. Our understanding is that the property was part of a flood relief settlement from the floods of 2000 and at the time the construction was started, the plot markings weren't crystal clear. There are four lots in a square, the neighbor owns three of them and our friends own one. While they were living in Khongolote, everyone understood the error but all was well as they were all good friends and the neighbors used their lot for a garden. In fact, Ana's big "coming out" party was at the neighbor's house.

But, with our friends now living in Nampula and working with our church planting program, they are renting the property out (for about 8 US dollars a month). The situation is no longer amiable and the neighbor has gone to the government and we are faced with tearing down the house because it is on the wrong piece of property. We suggested selling the property to the neighbor, swapping parcels, and other logical solutions but no one is interested in any of those options (and trust me, you can't tell the two lots in question apart!). There are lots of cultural reasons for this also, including if they sold it, the money would 'run away' to whatever the most immediate need is with the family, friends, or village. So, the way it was presented to us was that we need to help move the house (basically build a new one, salvaging the roof tin) to the correct lot 'for the future of Ana.' Sigh.......that's where we come in with our implied cultural responsibility!

So, now we face into this one - west meets southern African culture.

So, we went out and looked at the situation and are getting an estimate of what it would take to replace the house in kind but in our heart of hearts, we are struggling with this. As I've mentioned previously, in Mozambique, people will almost sell their souls to have a simple block house that is unfinished concrete block about 10 feet wide by 15 feet long. Houses have extreme importance here to a level we can't even begin to understand. The facts are that indeed they will likely lose the land to the government if they don't build something on it very soon (the government gives your two years to improve the land or it reverts back to the government and we're way past two-years). But on the otherhand, they live in Nampula now and at least for another couple of years. And I know they don't have the money or access to money to take care of this...

We're trying to work with their home church because they are essentially missionaries in Nampula; maybe a compromise where the church provides the labor and we provide materials, for example, but we think it is important that this be a joint venture. We may be able to replace it 'in-kind' (reed house - see photo) for a little bit of money, but the block house for 'Ana's future' is just a bit much! We think our goal in this is to help our friends think through the decision making process and then we will see where this takes us. We do love them.

In this case, it hurts our hearts a bit because our friends are ministering to the poorest of the poor in Nampula and yet they are being distracted at a deep emotional level about this house. Satan just loves to get in there and stir it all up so that people doing kingdom work can be made less effective. We truly appreciate the prayers of our dear friends back home who help us through situations like this and for the prayers for those we work with. When we evaluate the needs that we face everyday, this one doesn't tip my compassion scale very much, as we are dealing with people dying of disease or people who haven't eaten in days, for example. But, these are who God has put in our path and while we can't do everything for everybody, we can certainly do something.

Heh heh, out there, I need a house for each of my daughter's futures and while you are at it, I need one so if we ever leave the mission field, I don't have to live on the street!! Maybe on a beach or lake somewhere with a boat dock? ;-) [I am kidding, but I wanted you to get the feel! Heh Ann, have you finished matching up our girl's names to every friend we have?]

Blessings.

"And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." Mt 25:42